Someone Like Me
by Wolfan Terror
Summary: Bill didn't think much of the boy in the Mystery Shack, so he made a deal. Only he didn't realise the boy was strong enough to break it, and now there's a demon out there with power issues and a sister who insists on driving him crazy. (My take on the Transcendence AU. Rated T as I am paranoid.)
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

* * *

The night was dark, later than usual. Maybe he should have waited till tomorrow? Then again, what was he saying? He didn't really care what time, as long as the kid was sleep. That was the only way, the only way for him to sneak a peek.

He kept wondering why he was so curious about the boy, why he interested him so much.

Maybe he'd find out soon enough, when his plan was ready for action.

He still couldn't comprehend as to why he boy was so insistent on continuing his pursuit of knowledge. He was actually starting to become more than an annoyance. It was nearly time.

Drifting, drifting, alone in the dark. No eyes on him; there were never any to begin with anyway, except for that same feeling. Feelings, sometimes he acknowledged that that word wasn't even relevant to what he felt around the boy.

Never before had he felt such... curiosity. It made him feel like he wasn't alone in this world, which he'd decided long ago that he was. There weren't any like him; that's the conclusion that he had happened upon. But maybe it was wrong.

He found himself watching the boy, floating above the bed where he slept, almost expecting him to wake up and see him, the shape that he was, suspended there in the air.

Thoughts bubbled through him as he sneaked himself inside the child's head, almost excited to see what fun he could have today. What fun could he have with the little kid? The one he insisted on seeing each night. The one he called Pine Tree.

* * *

So, yeah, this is my new story, I was planning on doing a full on Big Hero 6 story, but it really didn't work out with the plot, and how I brought the story about, so I decided to quit at it. Instead, I've been thinking of doing a Gravity Falls fanfic instead, and here it is! Just a warning, don't worry, the chapters won't be this short, this is just for the prologue. I'm already working tirelessly on the first chapter, so look out for that in the coming days, and yeah, make sure to follow, favourite, and tell me what you thought of it so far, even though theres not much to go on! ;)


	2. Chapter 1 The Power of the Mind

**Edit:** A few minor errors adjusted (Words being swapped round to fit the new plot line.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _The Power Of The Mind_

* * *

The dream was as desolate as always, it kind of disturbed him as he entered the boy's mind to see what he could happen upon today. He could almost see the despair that plagued the kid each night; it was so unnatural for a child of his age to dream like this. It was hilarious to Bill, they were twins, yet Pine Tree and Shooting Star were so different, their dreams for example.

Ironically, the girls dream was the one that he thought might actually give him nightmares, as it was the first of the twin's dreams to see, and he'd spent less time in that dream than anyone else's.

He'd gone there to try and have some fun, but all the bright colours had made his eye water, and the synthesized music had practically tortured his non-existent ears. He compared the music to nothing less than nails scratching along a chalk board.

At first, he'd wondered if the boy's mind would even be any different; it had almost made him hesitate. But he'd gone in the end, and the relief was more than relief.

As Bill recalled that first visit, he drifted silently across the Dreamscape to search for the boy, and found him at the usual place, his own strange version of the mystery shack.

The shack wasn't as old as in the real world, and the 'S' was actually stuck to the roof right and wasn't falling, almost like it was held up by some mysterious force. Each room had a cage with some kind of monster in it, the shack was full of every creature that the boy had ever encountered, all thanks the that retched book he clung to so tightly.

He watched the dream progress, laughing silently at how dark and gloomy the place was, even before the inevitable started.

Pine Tree was giving tours to the flocking tourists who watched the caged monsters with fascination, congratulating him on finding such beasts. It looked lovely even; till Bill worked his magic and the monsters broke free.

Panic ensued almost instantly and laughably, the boy tried to stop it. He tried to stop the work of the demon, without even knowing it was Bill's work. How would he know? It had been happening to him even before the demon's interference. That's how Bill had found his interest.

It had started on the first night he'd watched. The same dream it always was, or some variation anyway. Pine Tree was sobbing in a corner of the mystery shack as monsters searched for him. Bill knew it had started as a dream on his first visit, there was obvious signs that any dream demon could easily pick up on.

Bill had waited and waited for the monsters to find him, and they did. He was excited to watch the outcome. The boy was battered and bleeding, absolute fear in his eyes as he crawled uselessly away from the deformed monster gnome that stalked him, ready to finish the job.

He waited so long to see the boy's demise, even if it was just in a dream. But the strangest thing happened. The boy's eyes suddenly changed from that terrified look, to one of confidence as he got to his feet, sudden strength filling him.

Bill didn't understand it, he hadn't done anything to help the boy, and no human could have such willpower in a nightmare like this; the demon could easily feel the strength of the night terror that plagued the boy. So he watched in disbelief as the boy managed to batter down the monster, dragging it back to its cage, where his dream slowly resumed to a peaceful experience.

The triangle didn't understand at all how this could have happened. That level of nightmare couldn't have been possible to break free from without waking up, so how could the boy of done it. _Pine Tree, I didn't know you had it in you. But I really want to know what it is inside you that makes you capable. I need to know._

He returned each night after that. Changing the dream to a nightmare if it wasn't already, making the nightmare a living hell for the boy, trying to topple him. But every time the nightmare got stronger, so did the boy. So did his little Pine Tree.

Bill put plans on hold, big plans, as he tried to figure out how to exploit this new found… he didn't even know what to call it. But he knew that the kid must have been special, very special. He'd gone back to that horrible dream of his sisters once to try and see if she acted the same way, but no. The nightmare he gave her had done nothing but torture her, it had not made her retaliate with her own strength of will.

 _Interesting, so the power only rests with the boy then. It might not be a family trait as I first thought._ He kept pushing, pushing and pushing to see what limit the boy had. But so far, he hadn't reached it. And he'd been doing this for two weeks. Two weeks of nightmares for the boy, which he always recovered from.

It brought an invisible smile to Bill's face as he floated around the Mindscape, watching him as he ate his cereal the next morning. _You're lucky kid; you're actually of some use to me after all. Let's see if we can go to where I think we can go with this._

It was late afternoon now, he was surprised that he'd been following Pine Tree and Shooting Star for so long, was he really that obsessed? _Huh, I guess I must be._ He waited for when the boy was alone, which was an annoyingly long time. _Why did those twins have to be so close anyway?_

But the time did come, when Shooting Star went off to find that useless pig she insisted on calling Waddles. At least it gave him the opportunity he needed; he only needed to hope the boy was dumb enough to go along with his plan. _Everyone human is; Pine Tree is no exception._

He appeared to Pine Tree in a bright flash of colours, him becoming the only coloured object in the area as the kid went to sleep.

The boy was disoriented at first, but he soon realized what was going on when he saw Bill. "You again!"

Bill felt almost blessed that the boy had remembered him since the last time they met, though he wasn't someone who was easily forgotten. "Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me!"

Pine Tree looks aggravated by the dream demon's presence, and he couldn't blame him. "Hardly, you worked with Gideon, you tried to destroy my uncles mind!" He said through gritted teeth unknown anger bubbling to the surface.

The demon chuckled. "Relax kid, it's in the past! And besides, it was just a job. Now, I've been keeping a close watch on you since then, and I must say, you've impressed me!"

The child's anger seemed to cease for that moment as he looked at the triangle in puzzlement. "Really?"

"Of course! You deserve a prize…" He thought for a moment, smiling. "Here, have a head that's always screaming!" And as he said, before Pine Tree could argue, he clicked his fingers and a large human head appeared and started to scream, and it made Bill chuckle slightly as the boy reacted with a scream of his own.

Having enough fun, Bill clicked his fingers again and the head began to disappear, being peeled away strip by strip. First the skin, then the muscle, and finally the bone. Another chuckle before the trickster got down to business.

"So, the point is that I like you, kid. And I'd hate for you to get into harm's way, so I'd come to help you."

Even though Pine Tree was still recovering from the 'screaming head' incident that had happened moments ago, he reacted with a sceptical look. "What makes you think that I'm going to get hurt?"

"I know things, haven't you seen already? I can see the past and the future. Want to know the exact time and date of your death?" Bill offered as proof.

He paled slightly before recovering. "I'd… rather not. But that still doesn't explain anything!"

Bill floated over to him, chuckling. "You're lucky kid, not many people could survive what you've been surviving for the past few weeks. I'm surprised you haven't been driven mad already."

"What are you…" The boy hesitated, but was cut off.

"Nightmares, kid. Having a lot of them lately? Heck, I told you I've been watching. And especially when it comes to your dreams."

"You've been in my dreams?!"

"Geez, relax, its normal for a being like me. In a dream I don't have access like I did with Stan Pines, so your mind is safe." He rolled his eye. "So anyway, back to what I was saying… You've been having some quite nasty nightmares lately, and I'm not even the culprit." He lied about that part easily, though he was sure the nightmares would have gotten as strong as they were now even without his help, it just would have taken a lot longer. "And you're minds been reacting in a very strange way, you've been fighting them."

Pine Tree looked more annoyed then angry now. "But that's normal, if we didn't even try to fight a nightmare and get it go away, then we'd all have been driven insane."

Bill crossed his arms impatiently as he continued. "Yes, that's true. But these are nightmares so strong, not even the strongest of willed human could fight them. But you have. And you should have been driven to madness at least a week ago."

For the first time, the boy didn't answer, he just stared at Bill, as if trying to figure out if he should believe him or not. So the demon continued for him. "I doubt you'd believe me, but I guess that's natural. But I'm warning you anyway. I've seen the signs and if you keep up this strength of will power, you might stop being human."

Finally Pine Tree spoke. "What is that even supposed to mean, 'stop being human.'?"

The triangle started to show images on his yellow body to represent what he said next. "A dream demon has power over dreams, like humans obviously. But we have such a great control that you don't even compare. But your control, it's starting to match my level of control. And when a human gets to that level, they'll become a dream demon."

The boy started to pale, his plan was working. "I'll… I'll be like… like you!?" He said suddenly after a few short breaths in between.

Bill faked a show of annoyance. "What? Why do you sound so horrified, are my corners too sharp? I guess that's understandable. But being a dream demon isn't that bad! Apart from never being able to grow up like Shooting Star."

That definitely struck a nerve, so Bill continued. "You'll be immortal kid, think about it. She'll go and die before you've even begun to actually except what you are. She won't even be able to see you unless you do what I'm doing to talk to you now. But… I can stop it, if we make a deal."

That was when he knew he'd blown it, as Pine Tree snapped out of whatever trance of despair he'd sank into. "No! I'd never make a deal with you, you're just trying to trick me!" Which, amusingly, was true since everything Bill had just told him was a lie.

There wasn't a single way for a human to become a dream demon like that, but Bill had to make Pine Tree think that there was, so he could make that deal. "Fine kid, if you think so. But don't come crying after I warned you about it, when you've a floating shape like me!" He gave a chuckle, holding up a hand and creating the symbol on Pine Tree's hat before giving it arms, legs and eye, making it hop around on his hand, before crushing it. "Tick tock, kid. You've only got another day before it will start to happen."

"You're lying. I know you are. I'm not stupid enough to trust someone like you." The boy frowned; though he kept a strong gave on Bill.

He sighed, but he knew he'd be able to trick the boy at some point, he'd make the deal soon enough. "Fair enough, just remember I warned you!"

Then can the flash of light again, and Pine Tree blinked away, looking around to make sure that Bill was actually gone, before hurrying back to the shack, calling for Shooting Star, no doubt that he was going to tell her who he had just talked too.

Bill didn't follow them this time, instead he went back to his realm to prepare for when his little Pine Tree broke, which was just a matter a time.

* * *

So heres the first chapter, I hoped you like it. ;) I've decided that this fanfic will have some elements of the Transcendence AU in it as I just love that AU so much! The elements will mostly just be Dipper becoming Alcor, though I'm not sure about the way. It might be similar to the way of the AU, but I'm going to be keeping Bill alive, so it obviously can't go exactly like that.

So follow, favourite maybe if you liked it ;) And leave a review to tell me what you thought about this first chapter. Do you think they should be longer? Or maybe you're thoughts on what you think might happen. I don't know, just leave a good little review for me, and see you next time.


	3. Chapter 2 All According to Plan

Trigger warning: Well, okay, not really. But the end part of this chapter is going to involve some pretty terrible descriptions and awful logic, so don't blame me if I leave your eyes melted from terrible plots. You might want to visit the society of the blind eye after reading this chapter, so I don't scar you from reading any decent fanfictions.

Also, did you see A Tale of Two Stans? I think I know who my third favourite character is now!

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

 _All According To Plan_

* * *

Bill lied. He always lied. But then again, he'd only met him once. _But the journal says he can't be trusted, more than anyone else. He's a demon after all. He just wants to trick me into... he didn't even tell me what he would have wanted in return._ That's what Dipper was thinking about as he explained the whole thing to Mabel.

"That triangle guy? He really said that?" His sister cocked her head to a side as she listened to him, frowning slightly.

Dipper sighed. "Yes, I don't know why, but that's what he said. That can't be possible, right? It doesn't say anywhere in the journal about something like this being able to happen. I can't be the first person for something to happen like this, there has be documents talking about this sort of thing." He murmured. "But it's not true, if it was, why would Bill even tell me?" He sighed, not expecting Mabel to answer him, he knew she wasn't all that serious about this sort of thing.

But she put her hand on his shoulder, smiling a big grin, showing off her braces. "Don't worry Bro Bro, if he even comes close to you, I'll be here for you. Then I'll batter him down with my mind skills!"

He put on a fake smile for her. "Yeah, I know you always will." Before he turned away. "I.. I need to figure this out. I need to be alone for a bit, Okay?"

Mabel kept on with that face of hers. "You can have as much time as you need, then we can battle that triangle together!"

"Yea, together..." He murmured as he trudged away from her, into the deep forest, all the thoughts in his head making him feel sad, and even scared that what Bill said was true. He closed his eyes for a second and stopped walking his aimless walk through the dense undergrowth. _"You'll be immortal kid, think about it. She'll go and die before you've even begun to actually except what you are."_ Bill's words echoed in his head, and his legs involuntarily buckled, making him kneel on the ground.

He knelt there for a while, before crawling to a nearby puddle of water, too weak to even get to his feet. Tears sprang from his eyes as he felt his insides shatter from the blow that Bill had struck, just now reacting. They dripped onto the puddle, making his reflection ripple.

 **"Oh, quit being a big baby."** A voice said, though Dipper knew he recognised it from somewhere. He blinked back the tears, trying to figure out who said it and where they were.

"Who's.. who's there?" He asked, sniffling away the tears as he looked around, seeing no evidence that that voice had even been real.

 **"Don't you even recognise me? Look down, you idiot."** That voice again, it didn't seem like it was in his head. but then Dipper recognised it, and he paled slightly. It was his voice.

He looked down at the puddle, his heart stopping. Instead of the reflection he'd expected to see, he saw himself, but different. He looked slightly older, with glowing, almost eerie-looking yellow eyes that reminded him of Bill. He had sharp teeth and a hat topped above his head. He had a look about him that made Dipper shiver slightly.

The distorted version of himself gave him a crooked smile, winking. **"Nice to meet you! Or, you could say we've already met."**

Dipper stared at the monster, trying to summon the strength to speak, it took him a while. "This... isn't real."

The water rippled whenever he moved, making him seem like he was moving with stop animation. **"Really Dipper? After all you've seen, this is what you deny? Speaking to the demon version of yourself is nothing compared to other things you've seen. I should know, I'm you."**

Dipper shook his head slowly, closing his eyes for a second, before opening them again to see if the demon was still there. It didn't work. "No... Your not. Your not me. I'm not... I'm not a demon." His words were mumbled, as if he couldn't find the courage to speak.

Demon Dipper crossed his arms, looking at Dipper as if he was an idiot. **"Yet you aren't. But I'm what you'll become if you don't heed his warning. Do you want to be alone forever. Never able to get to close to anyone, even Mabel, as they'll all die in the end anyway, with you living forever? Do you want that, Dipper? Do you want to make the worst mistake of your life!?"** The demon's tone was harsh, his voice cracking slightly with the last sentence as he almost screamed it at the boy, making him flinch. He continued, not letting the real Dipper speak out. **"Alone. That's what you'll be if you don't take Bill Cipher's offer. Take the chance he gives you, not all of his deals are bad. This isn't a trick, do I seem like a fake to you?"**

Dipper's will power was depleted after the versions speech, and he started to believe that this really was him. Him from the future, somehow, begging, pleading for him to take up the offer, and he was starting to consider it. This was real. It couldn't be a trick.

But it was. A trick like this was so easy for Bill to pull. The boy didn't even realize that he was asleep, talking to a disguised Bill. He was sort of impressed with his own acting skills, it was quite an amazing performance on Bill's part, and the kid was buying it.

"I... But Bill..." Was all Dipper could say, finding it hard to say any words.

The demon gritted his teeth glaring at Dipper, anger blazing in his yellow eyes. **"Think of Mabel, if you don't take this offer, she'll be alone. We were supposed to be with her forever, but you were selfish! You were selfish and decided that you couldn't risk trusting the triangle because you were selfish!"**

"He.. he could trick me."

 **"WHO CARES!?"** The demon was screaming now, the image so distorted by his movements that he was barely visible.

"I.. I need to think of Mabel." Dipper soon realized, trying to get his strength back.

 **"Please. Do this for Mabel."**

"I need to do this for Mabel." He nodded, watching as the water rippled and the image disappeared. Unbeknownst to him, Dipper woke up and he quickly bolted to Mabel, he needed to make the deal.

* * *

They'd talked about it, and now they decided it was time. Time to make the deal.

"Are you sure about this?" Mabel asked nervously as they walked into the forest so nobody would see them, they didn't need Grunkle Stan worrying about them.

Dipper stopped when they got to the place he decided he'd do it, before looking at her. "I need to, Mabel. If I don't do this..." He closed his eyes for a second, pushing back the tears. He then looked at her, smiling. "Besides, if he double-crosses me."

She continued the sentence. "I'll be here to kick his triangle out of this world!"

"Just, stay back while I do this, I don't know if Bill might try and hurt you."

"But how do you know he won't hurt you?"

"Because you'll be here to stop that from happening." Dipper sighed, looking her as she walked to a safe distance. "Wish me luck." He said with a smile, before calling out. "Bill! Bill, I know you're watching! I need to speak with you!" And almost instantly, the twins fell asleep, and Bill appeared in a flash.

"Well well, Pine Tree. Have you considered my deal?" Bill said with a cheery tone to his voice as he already knew the answer.

"Yes, but first, I need to know. What's your price? If you are willing to take whatever's wrong with me away, what do you want in return?" Dipper had to know, even if he dreaded the answer. It might be something horrible, like Mabel's soul or something.

Bill flexed his rest easily, chuckling. "It's simple kid, I'll take away abnormal power that's making you this strong, and use it to make myself stronger. You won't have to owe me anything, the act of taking your power away is good for you, good for me. It's a win win, I guess you could say."

Dipper looked surprised, and from the distance, Mabel gave him a grin and a thumbs up, she wasn't far away enough to be unable to hear what was being said. He smiled slightly, though the idea of making a maniacal demon stronger didn't really sit well with him, but he didn't care, this was for him and Mabel. He'd deal with the consequences later.

"So kid, have we got a deal?" Bill raised his hand to shake, the blue flame enveloping it, ready for the deal to be struck.

Dipper gulped thickly as he looked at the hand, before glancing over to Mabel and then back at Bill. _She won't be alone._ And then he shook Bill's hand.

* * *

Mabel felt it in her gut, something was wrong as soon as Dipper had shook that demon's hand. She tried to run forward and warn him, but it was like there was in invisible wall in front of her, stopping her from interfering. Her eyes widened as she slammed her fists against the wall, sudden fear for Dipper. _If Bill's keeping me out..._ "Dipper!" She screamed, bashing the wall furiously, but all she could do was watch as...

* * *

The world felt cold. He was surprised by that as he looked down at his hand that was enveloped by that blue flame. There was that feeling inside of him, that feeling deep down at something was very wrong. Maybe it was because of the screaming that he heard behind him. He tried to turn round, but his eyes were locked on the triangle in front of him.

Dipper couldn't move, not a muscle. He wanted to turn round to Mabel, but he couldn't. He couldn't figure out why she wasn't running over if she was screaming so loud. Something had to be wrong, so why was she staying back?

Then he heard the chuckling of the shape in front of him, not even able to respond. "Sorry Pine Tree, but what I said might not actually be true. Sure you have incredible power, it that would never turn you into a dream demon. That's not even possible! And, taking that power isn't going to be straight forward. Well, it'll be straight forward for you! A straight forward ticket to your end, kid!"

That laughing again, filling his ears, almost like it was the reason he was paralysed. _Move! Get away!_ He screamed at himself, but his body wouldn't comply.

He felt the demon's hand let go of his, and he hoped that that would mean he'd be able to move again. But it didn't let him. He was still frozen to that spot.

Bill's hands reached for his shoulders, and when they touched, the blue flame enveloped Dipper completely, and he felt the pain, the pain of being burned by a thousand suns. And he was able to speak, but only one sound. One large, agonised scream.

The demon's arms pulled at him. It pulled him in, dragging him, towards the triangle, making Dipper wonder slightly, as he thought through the pain, what Bill was doing.

But he soon realised as the demon started to pull him into his chest. It was like it wasn't solid anymore, like a portal to another realm. And when his skin touched it, he felt drained, tired, like his entire life force was being absorbed by Bill. _Oh God, he's.. he's going to absorb me!? That's how he gets the power? No, no!_ There was nothing he could do, without the ability to move or struggle, all he could do was wait for his inevitable end.

 _Why on earth did I believe this was the right thing to do, it was all a trick. It was all a trick!_ He screamed and screamed, trying to make some way to break whatever spell he was under. Nothing was working. He was going to die. _I'm going to die. But I can't leave Mabel alone._

He was practically absorbed fully now, Bill laughing as his power grew stronger and stronger. _All because of my fault. It's my fault Mabel will be alone. I can't let that happen. I need to stop this!_

Just before he was completely absorbed, just before his consciousness stopped existing, something sparked inside of him, and the one eye that was still unabsorbed began to glow with a burning yellow light, before he was completely dragged inside that demon.

The wall holding Mabel back was gone, and she'd stopped screaming. All she could do was stare. Stare at the place where her brother had used to be. Where he had just _died._ She crumbled to the floor, tears flooding. _This is all my fault, I should have stopped him. I should have..._ She cried and cried, trying to mourn the loss of her brother. But the laughing coming from Bill Cipher was deafening.

And Mabel hadn't a clue what she could do to stop him. Dipper was gone, absorbed by the crazed triangle, until something amazing caught Mabel off guard, giving her a smile.

* * *

Well, I warned in the trigger, so if your mind hasn't melted from absurdness yet, then congratulations! You made it without having to get your brain erased! So did you like it? What will happen next? The wait is killing me. But hey! I have a question, should I have the author come back at some point down the line? I want to have at least a few parts from season 2 to be the same. Okay, so tell me in your review if you leave one. I just really like reviews, so if you can take the time to say what you thought, it would be great! Might actually make we write faster! ;) That is so not a bribe.

Well, see you next time, so review, favourite and follow for more of this fanfic. And seriously, next chapters when it gets interesting.


	4. Chapter 3 Pine Tree No More

Hoping to get this up by Friday night, but if not, it will be up on Saturday. I'm so glad that you all like it, and I'm surprised that I have 13 followers already! I'd like to thank Lanx Borealis for the very helpful review they left, I'll try to work on the emotional parts of this story so I can hopefully improve it to its fullest.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 _Pine Tree No More_

* * *

The cold feeling was still there, dulling out the pain that Dipper had been feeling moments ago. He couldn't see anything, and the world seemed to have disappear, forcing his senses to become useless. That filled him with a feeling of terror, that this was the end. That he was going to die like this, out of the world. His memories were fuzzy, what had he been doing just before this? How had he got here? Dipper tried to figure out those questions as he struggled to clear the thick fog that had penetrated his mind.

His first efforts proved to no evail, more memories slipping into the unknown. He couldn't quite remember who he was anymore. That cold feeling was spreading, making him want to shiver, but he couldn't find the strength to move. Then he felt a memory slipping, one that he had a feeling that he had to hold onto it. Who was that girl? He struggles were successful this time, as he slowly stopped that memory from retreating into the bank of fog. _That isn't some girl._ Dipper slowly realised. _That's my sister, Mabel._

Knowing that one memory filled him with strength, so much that he began to rip away the fog, drawing his other memories back to him. _My name is Dipper Pines, and I can't die like this, not all alone._ He wondered if he was gritting his teeth in anger now, because that's what he felt like doing. However, the sense of cold had still not left, and he couldn't tell what he was doing, if he was doing it at all.

Without thinking, he brought his hand towards himself, before punching outwards, and he felt the warm summer air on his arm, which comforted him slightly, now that he knew he wasn't dead yet.

* * *

Mabel didn't really know what to think when she saw it. At first she wondered if it was just another of Bill's illusions, just another trick to make her suffer more. Just to try and fill her with hope before crushing it. Mabel wondered if she would be able to tell if it wasn't an illusion, and doubted she would. But why would Bill do it if it was? Why would he try to torment her when she had already seen her brother die, while she was unable to stop it. That filled her with a feeling of despair, that she couldn't have done nothing to save Dipper, nothing to have stopped what had happened. It made her feel weak and helpless.

She hated that feeling. Hated that it brought on a sense of dread as she wondered what would happen next. But that illusion she saw filled her with something different, maybe it was hope. Bill didn't even seem to be paying attention to her, he didn't even notice what Mabel saw. The triangle didn't notice the arm that was sticking out of his chest. And that made Mabel smile, because that meant Dipper was alive.

* * *

He had done it, finally after all this time! Granted it had only been two weeks, but Bill was very impatient and he liked to get what he wanted now and in the present. But however he did pride himself for waiting and letting Pine Tree's power grow, it made him feel so much stronger now. He was laughing, it was hilarious. He'd taken out the first of the ten annoyances on his wheel, getting a big boost of power in return. Sadly, he'd miss his favourite little toy, Pine Tree's soul was being broken down and absorbed as he spoke.

Bill looked over at Shooting Star as he laughed, excited to see the look of hopelessness and despair that was obviously going to be planted on her face after he had, in essence, killed her brother. But a looked of confusion sprang up when he didn't see that, instead he saw... a smile? _What is this, why is she smiling? I just killed Pine Tree, she should be overcome with despair right now! Why the hell isn't she?!_ He thought angrily, turning red for a split second, before he noticed something sticking out of his chest, a human arm. Alarm caused him to turn back to yellow as he stared at it.

It began to move, searching for something to hold onto, digging its fingernails into the ground and started to pull, causing a shoulder to be dragged out of Bill's chest, and sudden panic erupted in Bill's head. "No, no, no! Stop that!" He screamed, to stunned to think to try anything, how was this even possible. _Pine Tree's body should have been destroyed already, he shouldn't even he a complete soul anymore. This isn't even possible!_

Another arm was yanked out, adding to the speed of the pulling, which caused Pine Tree's head to be yanked out, causing the pulling to ceased for a moment.

* * *

Dipper tried to blink away the darkness, trying to get used to the bright lights of reality again, he wondered if he and Mabel were still asleep. Even if they were, it was still reality to him, and that's what mattered. He felt so much better with the warm air on his face, wondering why he hadn't appreciated it before. Dipper's eyesight felt strange, it was blurry at first, but it soon focused to a startling degree. Had his eyesight always been this good?

Everything felt so much clearer, he could even see a small bug on a leaf about twenty metres away, it kind of spooked him a little. Dipper tried to ignore his sudden change of vision for a second, as he'd forgotten the lower half of his body was still in that dark space. He started to drag himself along the floor again, as it was impossible to move any other way. Thats when he heard Bill screaming right in his ears, making him want to curl up and die.

* * *

Bill surprised himself with his own velocity of screaming, but it had stunned the boy and that's what he wanted it to do. Stopping him from moving as he tried to escape his tomb. He just had to absorb him again, this time he'd stay dead. But he felt that something was wrong. He knew that if Pine Tree escaped then he would lose the power he gained from him, that was obvious. However, he felt something more than that. Something that made his yellow glow dim slightly. It was his lifeforce. That's what felt wrong.

The boy wasn't just taking his power back, he was taking Bill's as well. He doubted that Pine Tree would have been smart enough to know how to do that on purpose, it was probably a side effect of his careless escape. He was started to feel weak, drained even. For the first time in his existence, him, Bill Cipher, the dream demon, was the one fearing for his life. Just because of a stupid little kid.

Anger flashed as he became red, and he grabbed hold of Pine Tree, surprising him with his sudden touch. He then began to try and drag the boy back in, stop the escape. However the boy's grip on the ground was impossibly strong, to strong for him to move, but he kept struggling to drag the boy.

* * *

Dipper couldn't think much about anything but the fact that he had to escape, so when the triangle grabbed hold to him, he held onto the grass for dear life. He dug his fingers into the dirt so hard it felt like they were bleeding, which he guessed they were. He wanted to cry, to just end this. But then he heard Mabel's voice screaming. "Dipper, duck!"

And by instinct, he ducked, not even sure what she was doing. He flattened his body to the ground, not loosening his grip on the soil at all. And then he looked up, watching as Mabel sprang from in front of him, kicking Bill right in the eye.

His reaction was instant, which Bill letting go of Dipper and stumbling back as his eye watered from the impact, giving him the chance to yank the rest of his body out of the darkness. And then he slumped, letting go of his grip on the ground, watering the blood that dripped from his fingertips for a second as he heaved, feeling relieved but tired from his escape.

* * *

He was so close! But it had gone so wrong, so fast. He'd been so preoccupied with Pine Tree, he'd forgotten about Shooting Star, and that was the reason he'd failed. It was annoying, how foolish he'd been. And now the boy was free. But Bill felt more drained than the boy lying on the drained. His red had turned back to yellow, but it was so pale, it was almost white. Some water still dripped from his eye because of the girls kick.

He watched the boy, to weak to try again. Most of Bill's power had been taken just like that, gone. He felt that it wasn't enough to kill him, and he'd recover, but it he wouldn't be back to full power for at least another hundred years. His plan was ruined. _This... can't be happening. It should of worked. Why the hell didn't it just work already!? Pine Tree should be dead! He couldn't have survived that!_

Pine Tree was lying on the ground, like he was the weak one. Shooting Star was shaking him, tears in her eyes as she hugged him, asking him if he was alright. No response, but the slightest mumblings under his breath which Bill could barely hear, even with his demon level hearing. But there was something odd about him that Bill couldn't seem to explain. Each creature had a sort of aura, so you could tell what power level they had, how easy they were to manipulate, and most of all you could easily tell their species from it.

There was one thing about Pine Tree's though, as it should have been the same as Shooting Star's. It _had_ been the same as Shooting Star's, but now it was different. Images flashed in Bill's mind as his eye widened slightly as he lay there on the ground, trying to regain enough strength to do something. Why he had tried to drag Pine Tree back, he'd glimpsed the boy's eyes. They were completely black with yellow pupils, though he hadn't paid it much attention at the time, he looked again now, and saw they were still the same.

It was infuriating how Shooting Star didn't even care to notice that something was definitely wrong with Pine Tree, but that didn't mean it was a bad wrong, for Bill anyway. He was still tied up about how he should feel about this. Should he be mad? Of course he was, the boy had just stolen his power! But the outcome was to cause untold suffering on the boy.

It was ironic how the boy had made the deal to stop this from happening, and he'd caused it because of how he broke that deal. The future seemed interesting for both Bill and Pine Tree. But he now wondered if he should even be calling him that, since he'd already saw glimpses of the future.

Bill chuckled slightly to himself. _I'll get over it, since I know he will be very fun for me to get to know._ His power was returning, at least enough for his basic dream demon powers, so he looked over at the twins, not much improvement with the boy. He was still lying there on the ground, Shooting Star crying over him, praying for him to be okay. _You idiot, of course he's okay. He's better then okay, but you don't know that, of course you don't._

They weren't paying attention to him, so he could easily make his get away and end the dream. He was curious as to how that would effect the boy, but he couldn't stick around to find out.

He was ready to end it, annoyed by the girls crying.

But Bill took one last quick glance at the boy and he began to wonder if, because of this, they could become friends. He seemed like someone that Bill could get to know in time anyway. The kid would probably never even speak to him for a few lifetimes, but after that, he'd have to to stop the incredible loneliness. After all, he did consider himself to be one of the most sociable demon's out there, not many others would actually be able to hold a conversation with anyone really, so the boy's options would be low. But besides that, after hundreds of years of being alone, he'd he quick to talk to anyone, even if that someone was the triangle you despised the most.

 _I'll see you soon, Pine Tree. No, I shouldn't call you that. That's not your name. I'll see you soon, Alcor._

And the dream ended.

* * *

That... was a lot longer than I thought it would be. I was hoping to fit a lot more into this than I can now, this I think I might have gone a bit all out with the descriptions and such. I hope I was able to improve at least a little with the emotions of the characters. And if any characters seem OOC, then you'll have to deal with it, sorry. Since I really suck at keeping characters to how they would act in the show, especially when it comes to Dipper and Mabel, and I'm not to sure about Bill Cipher either.

Anyhow, I'm not sure if I will post again, so I'll say it here just as a warning. If I don't post again before the 21st of July, then you won't hear from me for two weeks, as I am going on holiday with no internet access. Just a warning so it doesn't seem like I've abandoned this fic. ;)

And don't forget to review and tell me how to improve, or what you thought was good about it!


	5. Chapter 4 Questionable Reality

Well, that wait was agonising. I'm back everybody! I hope the wait wasn't too long. I just have to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this fic, it means a lot to me. Now lets continue!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _Questionable Reality_

* * *

Mabel blinked as she opened her eyes, he head filling with confusion. She was standing in the spot where Dipper had told her to stay while he made the deal with Bill. Then as she thought, realisation struck her. _It was a dream! All that was just a dream, so Dipper got to be fine!_ She felt herself perk up as she looked to the spot where Dipper had stood. Then her happiness deflated.

Dipper wasn't standing like he'd just woken up from a dream, he was still lying on the ground, eye's closed, barely breathing. Like it hadn't even been a dream for him.

She quickly ran to him, staring down at him. "Dipper! Oh my.. Are you okay?" She noticed everything was the same, the blood on his fingertips was still there, though blood on the grass had disappeared.

He seemed to react to her voice, an eye peeking open slightly, before shutting.

Mabel felt a bit relieved that he was responding, he hadn't at all in the dream. "Let's.. get you home, Grunkle Stan'll be able to help you, I bet it!" She tried to lift him up, but found it difficult, until Dipper helped her by using as much as his strength as he could and prop himself up, opening his eyes to look at her with a tried expression.

* * *

His bones felt too heavy to lift, but he did so anyway, he could tell Mabel was having difficulty getting him up. Opening his eyes, Dipper was caught off guard by the sharpness of his vision again, but that wasn't the only thing. Mabel.

It caused him to jolt slightly, the way Mabel was looking at him. It was a mixture of fear and worry, which meant something had to be wrong. He forced himself to speak, but his voice didn't sound right to him, it sounded too... echoey. "Ma..bel? What's.. wrong?"

* * *

Mabel could tell the difference. Those eye's weren't Dipper's, that voice wasn't Dipper's. She still had hold of him, but the look on her face had only changed to anger. "You stupid triangle! Get out of my brother! You're possessing him or something, aren't you? Aren't you!" She was grabbing him by the collar, shaking in her fit of rage. The response she got was a look of confusion, and she felt her walls crumble.

Tears came as she shook him, screaming. "Get out! Get out of my brother!" But the rage slowly drained, the shaking weakening til she wasn't even holding him anymore. Her hands had dropped to her sides as she sobbed, the words getting weaker. "Get.. out, ... please..."

Then something surprised her, as arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a hug. "Mabel.. It's me, Dipper. Don't worry. Bill's gone, I'm sorry I scared you."

Mabel couldn't help it, she hugged him back, though that voice was still unnerving. It sounded like an echoey mix of Dipper's and Bill's voices, though now that she thought about it, it did sound more like Dipper. "Somethings... happened to you, Dip. I.. I'm sorry I let it." She sniffled as the last of the tears drained away to nothing.

There was a sigh from her brother. "No, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who decided to make the deal. I'm the one who decided to trust a demon." He broke off the hug, looking at her as he tilted his head slightly. "So.. what is it? Something's definitely different, I can feel it."

Mabel looked at him, hesitating slightly. "Well.. um.. You're eyes have changed. You're white part is black now... and the rest is yellow. You don't even have a.. what is that black thing in the middle?"

"Pupil." Dipper said, before realising what she just said. "Wait.. My eyes are yellow? And I don't even have pupils?" He couldn't help but smile slightly. "Well, at least I don't need a reason to where sunglasses indoors anymore." He looked across to Mabel, and was happy that that had generated at least a little smile.

Mabel smiled slightly at Dipper's little joke, before she looked at him again. "Dipper... You don't think that Bill did something to you, do you?"

"It's a possibility, but it don't think it was on purpose."

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

Dipper nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... I kind of have extremely good sight now."

Mabel's eyes widened as she stared at him. "So.. You've got superpowers? That's so cool! I mean... not really, but it is! You could fight crime, and I could be your sidekick. We could call you... Sightguy! With his sidekick Sweatergirl!"

He looked at her, kind of relieved that she was back to her old self, so much so that much of his strength had come back, didn't feel like he was about to die anymore. "Mabel, I don't think that's going to work. Good sight isn't really a superpower, how would I even fight crime?"

"Staring them down! Fight crime by giving them all staring contests!" Mabel giggled, feeling like her normal self again, she hated being sad, it left less room for fun.

He couldn't help but laugh at her silliness. "Mabel I really don't think that's going to happen."

Mabel smiled at him for a second, before she realised something. "Okay, right. We should get you home! Can you walk?"

"I'm fine, really. I'll be fine now, I must have just been a bit tired after... what just happened."

She nodded, still smiling. "Come on then, Bro Bro. Let's go home!" Then she sprinted off in the direction of the Mystery Shack.

* * *

Dipper watched her smiling, before starting to walk after her. He was a little wobbly at first, but he soon got the strength back in his leg muscles, so he began to run after her. He was happy things were back to normal, though he had a horrible feeling in his gut that it really wasn't, that they hadn't realised what was actually wrong. But he shook that feeling off anyway. _So I have super sight, big deal! That's not something to worry about._

* * *

When they got to the Mystery Shack, the sun was already starting to set, so it explained why Wendy and Soos had gone home. The only noise in the shack came from the TV room, of course Stan was watching the TV, what else did he do at night?

Mabel came running in, with Dipper following behind her, both of them smiling. Their Grunkle Stan noticed them instantly, mostly because he wasn't exactly paying much attention to the show he was watching. It was a re-run of Ducktective, but it was the bad episode that every fan of the show hated. "Hey kid, what have you been up to today?"

That struck Dipper as odd. Their uncle had directed that sentence at Mabel, not at Dipper. But he decided he had to just be asking Mabel first, and then he'd ask Dipper after. But then again, hadn't he noticed his eyes?

* * *

Mabel thought for a second, slightly panicked. She couldn't say what they had really done, Stan wouldn't even believe them. And she wasn't a great liar, Stan might see through it. When she looked over at Dipper, all he gave her was a nervous shrug. _Thanks for the help, bro._ She tried her best to think of something good. "We were... at the mall! There was a sale on at Build A Beaver, I could get to shirts for the price of one, and they fit Waddles perfectly! Me and Dipper spent the whole day there and he helped me pick out the right ones."

That felt like the best lie she had ever told, mostly because it was where she normally did get some of the clothes for Waddles. And it appeared to have worked.

Stan frowned slightly for a second as she didn't even have a bag in her hand, before sighing and said. "Okay, that's great. So where's your brother? Is he still there?"

The twins froze. Dipper felt like he was choking, so Mabel spoke instead. "Stan... Dipper's right next to me."

He rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny. I'm not that old yet, kid. Seriously, where is he?"

* * *

Dipper couldn't stop it, he felt the world swirling around him. His Grunkle had basically just told him that he didn't exist. _Am I even real? What's going on?_ He could feel himself start to have a panic attack, his breathing was getting short and raspy, thoughts were rushing in his head and he couldn't stop them. So he did the next best thing. He bolted.

He ran across the TV room trying to run up the stairs and to their attic bedroom, but it was difficult as he was starting to feel faint. Dipper couldn't even feel his feet moving anymore as he ran up the stairs. Now that he thought about it, or atleast tried, he didn't even hear the sound of himself running up the stairs, and as he got into the room, he looked down just to notice something.

His feet weren't touching the floor, he was floating two feet off the floor. Dipper must have been shocked out of it or something, because his panic attack had stopped. He was just staring at the ground beneath him that he should have been touching.

* * *

As soon as Dipper had bolted, Mabel knew it had hit him hard. How couldn't Stan have seen him? It didn't make any sense. "I.. have to go." She told her great uncle as she ran after her brother, not waiting for an answer.

She could hear him panicking and she had to calm him down. Mabel was halfway up the stairs when she heard his panicked cries cut short, followed by a short gasp. She didn't know what was wrong, but it had to be bad.

Thundering through the door and into the room, she looked at him. "Dipper, what's-" Then she noticed the look of fear on his face, and the fact that he wasn't touching the floor. At all. "Your... levitating!" She said in amazement. "Do you know how amazing this is? You have super sight, and you can fly! You can be a superhero, we just need rework the name a bit and.." She stopped when he looked at her, a look that was deadly seriously and she knew she couldn't joke around.

"Mabel, I'm floating, and Grunkle Stan can't even see me? Am I even real? Am I just your imaginary friend or something!?" He started quiet, but Dipper soon was shouting angrily at her, as he didn't know what to think.

Mabel stared at him, kind of hurt that he would think something like that, but she couldn't begin to understand how he was feeling right now. "What... Dipper... You're real, you're my brother! Something's... Something's just happening right now. Calm down, we just need to think about this."

Dipper just stared at her, tears welling up in his eye. "I'm sorry.. I just.. What's happening to me?"

"I don't know, why don't we sleep on this? It's bound to be better in the morning." She walked over to him, and took hold of his slightly shaking hand, pulling him back down to the floor. He then took a step, and luckily it worked, no floating, as long as Mabel was there. She held him down as they walked over to his bed, where he sat down on it. When she let go of his hand, they were both relieved when he didn't start floating off again.

Mabel felt too exhausted by the day's evented to get undressed, so she decided to sleep in her clothes, while Dipper strangely didn't feel sleepy in the slightest. They both lied down in the beds, looking at each other.

"Night, bro bro." Mabel said with a smile, and Dipper returned the favor, turning the light off as he forced a smile onto his face.

Mabel soon fell asleep after that, dreaming peaceful dreams.

But Dipper couldn't get to sleep. He spent the night wide awake, his mind filled with questions and emotions he couldn't control. It felt worse than his worst nightmare, and all he could do was wish that he'd dream. But he wasn't tired at all, and felt like he never would be. And that scared him, more than anything else.

* * *

I feel like this chapter is more of a filler compared to much of the others in plot, but whatever. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any questions or problems you notices, be sure to ask me in your review. Now there was one question that I couldn't answer, because the asker blocked pm's, so I'll answer it here.

B4E Octavo - Question, can you tell me why Dipper I guess demon's name is called Alcor?

Me - When I first started this fic, I honestly didn't really know, but that was his demon name for the transcendence AU. But then your question got me interested, so I looked more into it and I noticed that in the constellation 'The Big Dipper', there are two stars called Mizar and Alcor that are clustered together. Mizar becomes Mabel's new name later on in the AU, so it makes sense to choose these twin stars as the names for the twins.

I say again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and make sure to follow, favourite and review, especially review, as this helps me a lot to motivate me into writing new chapters quicker. :)


	6. Chapter 5 What You Are

Sorry this chapter was a little later than expected, but my computer died. :C I have a new one now. Well, I say new, but it's just my mum's old one. But heck, it works! It took me a while to get used to the keyboard on this new comp, as the key's were slanted to the side with weird keys were my ctrl and tab keys should have gone, so I would be writing s instead of a when I typed, which really wouldn't do for this fanfic. Now that I'm used to it, lets get to this chapter and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _What You Are_

* * *

Mabel woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed for the day ahead, sitting up in bed. "Wow. Hey Dipper! I just had this super cool dream where you got super..." She looked over to his bed, expecting to see her brother still asleep, or being woken up by her cheeriness. However his bed was empty, with Dipper nowhere to be seen.

"Up here." She heard him say, and looked up to the ceiling to the source of his voice and gasped, finally finishing her sentence. "...powers."

Dipper was floating so high up that his head was hitting the ceiling. He was sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face. "That was no dream, Mabel."

She gasped, climbing quickly out of bed and ran to his side, looking up at him. "Dipper, your... floating again!" She climbed onto his bed and took hold of one of his legs, yanking him downwards like a balloon.

He yelped slightly as his legs uncrossed, but he was only floating a few centimetres of the ground now. "Thanks." He mumbled as she hopped off of the bed, happily replying. "Don't mention it."

Mabel looked up at him again, frowning slightly. "So this is permanent now?"

He shook his head, sighing as he unfolding his hands. "Oh, I don't know. But it's really scary. Mabel, last night I didn't get any sleep."

She stared at him. "Come on, you have to have had! I've seen you when you get sleep deprived, and you haven't started eating your shirt yet."

Dipper stared at her with a slightly scared look in his eyes. "That's what worries me! I'm invisible, have super senses, can float, and now I'm not sleeping? Something just isn't right. It makes me wonder if what happened with Bill was worse than we thought."

"Come on Dipper, your just over reacting. And about the invisible thing, that's not true! I can see you, can't I? It must just have been one of Grunkle Stan's moments. Or maybe he was just kidding around!"

He sighed, shaking his head again. "Yea, yea. I guess your right. I'm just getting ahead of myself." Dipper reached up to tip his hat slightly, but his hand felt nothing but air above his head. "Um, Mabel. Where's my hat?"

His sister frowned, tilting her head slightly. "You mean you haven't noticed? You haven't had it on since the thing with Bill. It must have fallen off or something when you.. um.. did the thing."

It took Dipper a minute to figure out what she was talking about, and he ruffled his hair in annoyance. "But that was my lucky hat! You can bet I won't be able to do anymore mystery solving till I get it back." He thought for a second. "Maybe Stan has some of the hats in stock." He snapped his fingers. "Yea, I'll just have to get a new one, it's not like I can just zap my lucky one bac... Mabel, what's wrong?"

Mabel was staring at his head, her mouth open wide.

He frowned, thinking she must have lost it or something as he reached up to ruffle his hair again but he stopped dead when he felt a hat on his head. A hat that hadn't been there before. Dipper gasped slightly, before taking hold of the hat and pulling it off, staring at it to make sure he wasn't losing it. He turned it round and looked it all over, and he realised that it was his lucky hat. It wasn't even a replica. "How did I..."

Mabel exploded into excitement. "This is so cool! It just, popped onto your head! You just keep getting more powers! Maybe you'll get laser vision now!"

Dipper looked at her, quickly shaking off the fact that he'd just made his hat appear on his head, he was getting used to things getting weirder and weirder. "Mabel, I doubt I'll get laser vision any time soon."

"Ha! But you haven't denied that it could happen!"

"Anything's possible right now, but I'm just happy that my hat is back."

"See Bro Bro? Good things will happen if you don't freak out all the time."

Dipper smiled slightly. "Come on then, I need to see if your right about my invisibility." Then he remembered he was still floating slightly. "Right. Hold on a sec." He bit his lip slightly, trying to think about being heavier. He struggled for a few minutes, the chanting that had started to come from Mabel really wasn't helping in the slightest, but he soon felt his feet touch the ground, just before Mabel practically attacked him with a hug.

"You did it! I knew you could, your starting to get the hang of your powers!" She said as she tackled him, giggling.

He started laughing, trying to pull her off of himself. "Mabel! Stop it, your going to make me start doing it again!"

After about five minutes of a struggling battle, Mabel let go of him. Before bolting to the door. "Race you downstairs!" Then she started running down the stairs.

Dipper glared at her slightly. "How fair is it that you get a head start?" He shouted to her as he followed her, running down the stairs. But she even yelled back at him, saying. "It's not!"

Mabel was already down the stairs when he caught up with her. "To slow!"

"Mostly because you ran first." He countered her, which she returned with a tongue out at him.

They started laughing again, pushing at each other as they ran into the kitchen to get breakfast. "Morning Grunkle Stan!" They both called in.

Their Great Uncle was sitting at the table reading a newspaper in the kitchen before he looked up at them, though he was still just looking at Mabel, which caused Dipper to start to panic, but Mabel took hold of his hand, nodding to him.

"Hey, my little gremlin, what was last night all about?"

Mabel smiled, looking at Dipper slightly to say that she'd handle it, before walking up to Stan. "Oh, nothing really. Dipper must have ran in before me and you mustn't have noticed him, I was just kidding about him being next to me."

Stan didn't really argue, he just shrugged and started to read the newspaper again before saying. "Well, wake him up in a bit if he isn't up already. Come and have breakfast when your ready."

She kept smiling, giving a nod. "Sure will!" Before she turned round to see Dipper sticking his hand through the kitchen counter like he was nothing but a ghost. Not really thinking, she ran to him and took hold of his hand, yanking him after her as she ran into the living room.

Dipper stared at him, panic in his eyes. "Mabel... I think I'm a ghost."

She shook her head, trying to think of a way to stop this from getting worse. "Come on, don't say that. It has to be something else. After all, I can touch you, remember! I can see you. Your not a ghost."

"But it's just you! It's like I'm not even real anymore, your the only one. Grunkle Stan can't see me, I bet Soos and Wendy won't be able to either." He grimaced as he thrust his hand into the wall, and instead of hearing a crack as he punched it, his hand went straight through. "And I can't even touch anything!"

Mabel took hold of his hand as he pulled it back out of the wall. "We just need.. to.." She was struggling to come out with a serious solution. She was used to being the funny one who got people to lighten up, but she knew that wouldn't work.

"I just.. I don't know how to- Something's wrong." He murmured. He didn't know how, but he just felt it. He felt it as Mabel suddenly went to sleep, though it was only a feeling to him, as she was just still going awake to him. Dipper looked at her. "Mabel.. It's him."

She looked at him. "Wa? What do you mean?"

"Oh Pine Tree, I can't even surprise you anymore." Said a certain triangle as he popped into existence. But Dipper could easily tell something was wrong with him. His yellow colour was extremely pale, and he was leaning on his cane like an old man. This wasn't the trickster of a triangle they'd gone up against the day before.

Mabel reaction by getting in a defensive position, ready for a fight. "Look out, you cheesy Dorito! I'm going to make sure you never mess with my brother again."

Bill rolled his eyes slightly at her. "Relax, Shooting Star, I'm not in much condition to do much damage, thanks to your brother." He gave a glare to Dipper, who looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Wait, I did that to you? How?"

"You broke the deal, you annoying hunk of flesh! When you broke away from me, you unintentionally took most of my powers with you." He answered angrily.

Mabel gasped. "So that must be how you got all this cool powers!"

Dipper just stared at him. "You mean... My problems are being caused by you. By your powers."

"Yes." Bill answered, glancing around slightly. "And from what I've seen, it's kind of laughable at how badly you've been coping. After what I'm about to tell you, I'm wondering if your going to start crying like a baby."

Dipper felt a slight chill go down his spine. "What do you mean... What are you saying?"

The triangle laughed slightly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. But I must ask, how are you liking your powers?"

"I want them gone, they're messing me up. Stop avoiding my question!" Dipper felt himself getting angry slightly.

Bill chuckled. "That's really not true. Don't tell me you don't feel some joy in being extraordinary? No? None whatsoever? Oh, you won't deny it for long. Anyway, I guess there isn't any better time to tell you then now." He laughed slightly. "You know, it feels so weird to me, giving answers up so easily!

"Just spill it." Dipper said bluntly.

As the demon began, his eye held the hint of an invisible smile. "No human could have powers like you have, Pine Tree. You have powers that mirror my own. Haven't you figured it out already?"

Dipper frowned slightly as he tried to put the pieces together.

"You can float, and you can't interact with the physical world. It's like your on a different plane of existence."

Dipper's eyes started to widen as the pieces started to come together. _No.. This can't be it..._

"I don't know how Shooting Star can see and interact with you, maybe it's some weird twin thing, but why should I care?"

He slumped to the floor, his eyes wide. Dipper felt paralysed.

Mabel noticed him go down, and quickly reacted. "Dipper? What's he talking about? Dipper!" He'd stopped reacting to her.

"You know what you are, and it isn't human."

Mabel shook Dipper, trying to snap him out of it, but it wouldn't work, so she looked up at Bill. "What are you talking about?"

Bill practically ignored her, as he started to laugh. "Nice going, Pine Tree. You did it to yourself. You're not human, you're not even a ghost. You're a dream demon."

* * *

And the reveal... that you already saw coming because I've practically already told you. And, before you complain and ask why Bill was still calling Dipper Pine Tree, he's doing it because he want's him to become Alcor on his own. Straight up calling him Alcor and giving him the idea for the name could really mess up the time stream or whatever. It makes more sense to me.

Now, after a lot of looking over, I've decided that this fic really needs a name change. As 'Someone Like Me' really doesn't fit this story anymore, I'm asking for suggestions for a new name for this fic, and I'd be really appreciative if someone could help me out on this, as I'm a lot better at writing, then I am at coming up with names. Thanks, and that's all from me today!


	7. Chapter 6 Unnecessary Violence

So I've decided to keep the title the same ;), but I'm going to change the description to fit it a bit more, and attract more people, since right now it sounds like the blurb for a love fic... I hate you BillDip.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 _Unnecessary_ _Violence_

* * *

 _"You're a dream demon."_ Those words kept repeating in his head like a broken record set to one of Mabel's Ser'val Timez songs, it was complete agony. _This can't be real, this is just a trick. Bill has to be lying, right? He said this wasn't possible, he said there wasn't a way. Or was he lying about that too? It explains the powers I'm getting... No no no! This can't be happening. Does this mean I'm immortal? Does this mean I'll have to watch Mabel die? What if my powers keep growing, what if I start to become like Bill. No, this is his fault. Bill did this to me._ Dipper felt a sudden and uncontrollable rage overcome him, he couldn't stop it. It had a hold on him. _THIS IS BILL CIPHER'S FAULT!_

* * *

Bill was annoying this immensely. Even in his weakened state, he'd still been able to toy with the boy. If was laughable how quickly it could cause the kid's mental wall's to crumble. Just that one phrase, that one fact. _You did want answers, didn't you, kid?_ Pine Tree had spent so long searching for answers, and when he gets the biggest answer of all, he can't even handle it. _You call you're self a mystery hunter?_ But then Bill noticed something that made his laughter die.

The triangle noticed the boy was still crouched face down on the floor, but he was shaking violently, his fists clenched like they were holding onto something. Shooting Star must have noticed something too, since she was calling to him, trying to get him to snap out of it, but it still wasn't working. And Bill soon realised he'd made a mistake, as Pine Tree's skin started to blacken till he was completely black, clothes and all. Molten yellow seeped through random brick patterns all over him.

He was getting up, no longer shaking his eyes open, but they were like holes, purely yellow in colour. The kid's mouth was opening, as if he was getting ready to scream, the inside was completely yellow too. It made even Bill feel threatened. Especially when Pine Tree broke himself away from his sister and came shooting straight for Bill at a speed so fast he could barely register if he had ran or if he had just teleported to him.

* * *

The two collided, and Dipper started screaming at Bill, so loud that it made him wonder if it could make him go deaf. But then as he hauled the triangle off the ground by his arm, the cane dropping and turning to nothing, he spoke in a voice that caused the mindscape to shake.

"͍̻͕̗́͌ͅȲ̸̲͙̹̚̚O̶̹ͦ̔Ű̜̟̜͔ͦ̐́ͨ ̙͌̑ͥD̜ͮ̀ͮ͌̂̋I͙̭̲̕Ḓ̮̭̫̙̽ͦ̍ ̻͔̫ͤ̍̇̎̔T̶̗͍͖͊̐ͭH̠̺̯̺̰͈ͣ͛ͯͫ͋͑I̭͉̺̟̪̥̠͆ͧ͠S̖̏̉̓̀̐͒ ͍̦͉̦͉̉̀̈́ͤT͎̼̮̙̆O̫͖̒̌ͯ̄̂̚ ̥̖̱̖̰̮͕ͭͦ͐̒̿͒ͣM̩̼̮̗̔̽͞E̩̘̞̹̖͊ͮ̈́̚͢!ͧ̏ͮͪ ͇̮͈̣̫̹̬̓̃T̲͍̖̻ͩ̃H͕̭ͭͥ̆̊ͩI̖͛̀͝S͈͔̤̯̜̲̲͗̓̐ͯ̈̈ ̢̻̠̞̤̬̾I͕͆̏̿͊ͮ̃S̿̏ͅ ̳͍̝͎̞̪̺̄Ÿ̷̬̤̺͎̪̇ͩ͊̈́O̠̯̥̝͖̹͂̌́͑̑̒ͩU̡̲͓̙̬͚̾͆ͦ͆R̗̲̹̳͚̯̩̾ͣ̊ ͐͋͗̇̿̓͏͉̝̙̣̩ͅͅF͚̙̝ͬ̆A̙͋ͭ́U̸̜̻͓͂̿̅ͪͅL͉̩̫̗̠͗T̻̣̻̥͇̊̄̎ͮ̍,̨̳͕̗̟̣ͬ͐ ̙̥͜C̞͎̰I͕͇͉͔̼̊̇ͬͅP͓̠͉͒H̠͕̰̲͍̤̘̽̋͘E̯̘͉͔̣͔̥̋̓͊̽̽̀R̢ͩ͛͌̾̀̋!͉͎͝"͈̭̹̜ͬ͆̀̾͆̂ Dipper screamed in a echoing demonic voice that filled Bill with fear. _How much power does he have?_

Dipper's free hand became aglow with a blue flame that was oh so similar to Bill's. He held the hand in front of the demon's eye, watching the fear in it.

"̻ͥ͊̍̓̊͟Ġ͈̝̯̦ͥ̔̄ͦ̚͟I̎ͥ͏͉Ṿ̉ͩ̾͆ͧͨ̋͜E̊ͪ̅̈́̓ ̷ͦ̆̔̀̿ͧṀ͎̲̫͔͚̮̗̄ͥ͂Eͤͧ̏͑͑ ͇̖̘̦̝͚̟͒̄͒̔́O̼͓̤͇̺̱͉͌̐ͭ̌ͭN͊͛̒ͤÉ͖̻̣̩͔̤͇̈̎̈̈̿̊ ̓̔ͩ͌̅͋͂G͎̓̇̇̈́ͤ̽Ȯ͙̠̺̞͕̮̘Ơ̠̹̟ͭͧ̅͆͐ͯD̹͔̙̱͇̥̣ͥ̆ͣ̄̏̀ ͖̜͋Rͪ̐ͣͧ͜E̳̱̳̗ͭ͛̋͘Ǎ̐͛̃̓̅҉͇̟̥̮̟͈S̳͈̯͉͟Ȱ̪̝̥͎͔́̚N̴̳̜̟̘̋̿ͩͧ̏ ̶̘͈̞͓̪̟͒͆̉͊̂̐̀W̗̩ͩ̎̃̾ͨ͞H̜̕Y̧̙̤̘̞̱ͫ̽͛ͨ ̻̟̑̑͑̚͟I̴̲͑́̆̊͌ ͈͕̺̩̖̰̭̿͗ͩ̓͑̽͜S̳͇̝͔͙̏͘Hͯ̾̅͌̋ͪ͂Ȏ̷̼̫͚ͭͭͯͤ͌U̝̜̤̯͖͌̓̃͋̃ͥͅͅL̸̝̙̼͚͕̺͌́̊D̘͊͑N̥̾͒̽'̭̻̱͙͎͙̼̿ͫ́̀T̵͍͚ͫ̀ ̨̻̝̼̫͉͖̺̌ͨͯͤB̵̰̣̼͙ͩ̐̽U͎̫̯̝͉̠ͩͤ͂̌R̬̺̆̌̉̇ͪͭ̽N̘̲̒ͥ͒̃ ̸͎̟̿Ỳ͎͓̬̬̎Ǫ̔U̫̲͈̭͂͋ͩ͌̽̊͒͜ ͖̱͖͙̞̯̦͗Ȕ̵̹ͣ̿͊ͮ͌̒P̹̻̝͕͉̼̃͂͐ͩͯ͢ ̪̮̃͛̏̀̿ͅI̷̲̤͆̈ͪ̐̂N͚̝̱͔̪Ṱ̺̜͒͂̏ͥͬỌ͍ͣͦ̅̂͟ ̬͖̟̪̥̾̋͑ͩͯ̀ͅŅ̻̦̣̮̥̯̈ͭͧO̙͚̪Ṋ̶-̵͍̟̎͑̍̐̽͌ͪĚ̀ͭX̭͓͙̯̤̻̎̇͢I̶̝ͨ̍̐̌̉̄̓S͈̘̲͒̆̎Ṭ̢̠̍̏͑ͪ̎̊̚E̴͌ͤ͑͗̚N͉̭̘̓ͫC̸̜͖̳̬̪̝̘ͥ̾E̦̺̔͛ ͙̰̼̗͑͑͒̐̄Ŗ͔̻̫ͥ͐̊ͭͅI̢̅̿͂̂̓́Ģ̘̹͕̜̬̬̔ͦ̅ͮ̌̉H̲͜Ț̮̓ ̱̗͞Nͬ̇͋ͪ̿҉̘̺͙̱ͅO̵̤̿͊W͕̰̝͖͔̊ͨͅ.ͥͯ̏͋̔̏͏͍͚"̠̄͘ The newly formed demon asked the weakened one, that hand getting closer and closer to Bill's face.

The triangle was panicking, knowing that this was not Pine Tree he was dealing with right now. This was his demon power overwhelming him because of rage, this right now was nothing but a demon, not one speck of humanity was left. But he tried his best anyway. "I don't know about you, but this was actually you're fault. Do you think I get a good thing out of this? I'm weak as hell, I was finding it hard to get here, and I can't even put up a fight. If you're going to destroy me, what would you get out of it? Don't you want to keep you're humanity, if you do this to me, it'll be lost to you forever."

That caused some hesitation in the monster's movement, but he just growled slightly. Speaking again.

"͍̲͈̀͒͝H̗̝͉̖̃ͩ͌̆͛̇Ǔ̹̦̼̖̥͍̘͌̓̆M̸̝̲̳̬̥̖̂̎͒A̸̱͈̣͙ͥN̦͕̙̪͚̪̽̄͆̀͗̚͡ͅI̹̜̫̤̋̉͒̔̂̽͜Ţ͕̞͓̭̽ͅY͖͔͇̼͗̉̅̽ͪ̽͜ ̧̼̇ͦI̘̱̝̩̳̗̳̎͒S̭̪ͥͬ̓̐͌ ̷͕͔̻͆̽͊N̯̟͕̙̪̙͕̂́Ơ̜̞̗̻͙̯̝͋̄̄̈́́̅T̙͕͂ͦ̍̅ͤH͖̩̯̮͌̃̊Ỉ̶͓͔̯͉͉̄N̶͕͍̟ͬ̊̌G̏͏̩͇̟͖̱ ͔B̷̠̩̺̺͇͕͓ͣŲ̙͓ͦ̏̃ͤ͛T̗͕ͮ̈́̎ ̨̋ͪ̅̒́W̲͔̹͉̭ͩ̇ͭ̌ͬͪͣE̗͈͓̩͓A̸̰̣̫͛̌̑̄̓ͅK͇̹̯͎͞N̯͚͎̺̗̐ͭ̅̔̐̂E̯͗̎͆͌̚S̩̞̖̮͞S̳̙̤ͧ̽̈́̽ͤͩ́̚ͅ.̻̰͓̫ ̛̰̫̼̭͈̆͋ͧͅD̵͕͓͂̅̚Ò͚̹̟̈̿͆̅̎̔N͢'̡̂ͧͥ͐͂͂T̐̽ͪͣͩ̀҉ ̤̞̝̜̟̜͟T̛͒ͯ̐̂̂̉̌ͅR͑̑̇͏̳̠̥Y͖̹̟̖͖̞͗͆͋͑͜ ͙͈͚͙̬̏̾̽ͫ̍T̹͕̯̳̩ͤ̆̂̽̀͑ͅO̳͙̮̞͇̫ ̳ͨ̊̀ͧͫ̄͘Š͎̠̏̅ͤ̃͞ͅA͕̟̰̯͕͔͔̔̏͂ͯ̎̓̍͞V̩̬E̦̳̺̳̘͈͉̒ ̜̰̞͍͐Y̻͓͑ͬͨ̓͠O̤͌ͣͣ̿̈́U͚̾̐R͚͈̗̣̀͆ͨ̈́̍S̱͇̙̞̀͡E̩̩̺͖͓͍̺ͩͤ̅̈́L̶̲̲̫̭͎F͎̝̫̔̏̂̂̐̈́̀̕ ̝͗ͮͮ̑͟F̣̝̦̝̺͙̍̈́̾̈R͖̠̦͜O̵̰͈̅̓ͣ̾̾M̿̒̓ ̬͖͙͇͈̳͙̉Y̜̫̼̞̜̤̭̐̀͋̂͡O͎̹̻̯͉̦͛̀U͏̗̖͖̳R͕͚̩͇̹͉ͥ͆̽̅̇͑ͬ ̡͍̲̣͔͉̹ͣͤ̈́F̬̠̥͚̈Ā̹͔̯̘̘̆͗̍T͑͏͖̩̮͍̹E̺̩̋̐ͦ̋̌̔͐.̫̮̰̳̦͕̽̕ ̞͉̳̺̞̲͂͜Y͙͎͆̍̋͛Õ̺̤̝̞̯̣̣̊ͫ̑ͫͫ̀Ủ̯̊̓̇̔ ̬̺͕̖̭̿̄̍͌̂W̺̲̪̤͔͈ͯ̋I̛̞͗̎L̾ͧͭ̃̇Ļ̠̗̞̼̋ͤ̋ ͚̱͍͖͉̤́͌͋ͪͪͤB̨̗͙̮̝̤͙̔̾Ê͌ ̫͉͇̞͇̜̾ͦͥ͒͑D̝̐̃́E̗͒̏ͥ͑ͨ̕S̜̺̘̭͉̘̐͌͋̓ͣͥ̕T̞͚̫͍͎͎̣R̰͈̭̝̯̠̯̅̄̈ͧ̃̿͞O̼̐̔͊̐Y̶̤͈̖̹̖̪E͔̹̐͆̉͑ͩ̚͢D͔̰̂ͧ͠ ̠̠͚͚̤̎ͧ̂͂͌̏̂̀ͅR̥̣̟̹̻̾ͮͫ͑I͏̜̭̤̥̫͕̫G̭̣͈̰̭̒͢ͅH̍́͏̮̪͚̰̺̝T͇ ̱͍͑̋͂̎̔H͎̮̯̝̳̤̠ͫ̆̓E͔̖̮̺̰͈͍R̸ͫͤ͆͊͋ͦͭͅE̸̝͕̻͚̦̮ͩ̚ ̨̠̾ͧ̑ͣͩA͛̎ͪ̊̀͏̯͓̰̱̖N̴̤̙̰̲͍ͮ̓̓͆̿ͅDͤ̚҉̦ ̣̗̮̜̝͇̟̄̎͋N̖͈̍͋̏͆̏ͥO̞̺̱͊̓̓W̭͂͆̑̊̈ͦ̔́.͖̍̓͒ͬͫ̚"̵̳͉̖̲̙̣̫ͧ͊ͥ͛̿ͧͤ

Bill watched as that hand came closer, the burning light causing his eye to water. Was this his fate? To be burned up and destroyed by a flame that had use to have been his. He closed his eye to wait for his fate, what could he do anyway? He felt pathetic, being too weak to even fight back.

"Dipper!" Bill kept his eye closed , but he knew that voice was belonged to Shooting Star. Was she going to try and bring her brother back? The triangle wondered at the possibility of that, would she be able to stop this demon? Bill highly doubted a human, even if they were once related, could stop Pine Tree now.

* * *

Mabel was running up to dipper and grabbed hold of his arm, tried to pull it back as the flame stared to sear Bill's face. "This isn't you! Snap out of it!"

That must have stirred a reaction, because the demon stopped burning Bill momentarily to say. "̤͈͋͞G͈͈͍̫̤̱̉̊̏E͖̯̥͚̺̐̃T̻͈̪͇̤̰͖ͨͬͧͨ̚ ̷̬̳B̧̳̺͉̗̲̹ͨͬͤ̎̐ͬÀ̧̗̮̘̙́ͭC͎͜K̶̈ͭ̍̽,͚̗̜̤̻̝͆́ͦ̓̌̉ ̍ͬ͋̒̎ͭ̄S̹̪̻H͎̥̜̹̐͂ͮÖ͚ͬ̓̒ͫ͋̀O̞̳̹̦̲̫ͪ̔̃ͣͭ̔ͬȚ͉̄͗ͥ̽I̩̫͍N͕͍ͫ̑͆̚͘G̪͎̝̟̘̀ͬͩ͜ ͇̌̑̒́Ṣ̴̮͓͚̹̌͗̎ͤ͛ͅT̜̺̘̲͎̯̗̅͒A̗͓̟͍̝R̡̭̳̤͇̓ͩ̉ͯ̃̒.̎͐̒ͨ́ ̢I̢͎͈͈̥̗̾̉͐̋͗͆ ̠͍̊́H̳̟̻̲̘̥ͬͩ̿̈́A͓̖͔ͬͤͬ̔ͮV̬̙̣̳͉̫͎̓̿E̮͙̣̪͕̪͒̈͑ ͎͕̱̠̟̏̐ͥ̆͆͌T̡̘͖͈̳͚̗ͣ̏ͮ̄́Ô̓ ̧͙͈̭̖̮͔̎̆Ē͕͔̮͌̂͊̆̄̄N̳̙̍ͬ̒D̮̗̏ͥ̂͒̔ͅ ̛̲͎͇̑̒̑͑͂̄̉T͕̜ͭ̀H͔̖̜̘̜͐I͎͕͎̊̾͗̓̿͡ͅS̵̤͎̳͙̘̳̏̔ͬ̆̑ ̛̠̦͙͋M̥̄̊ͯ͌̉Ọ͇̦̣̠̮̭ͩͫ̒ͪ̊ͯN̢̯̮̭̈S̗̲̹͓͚̈́ͥ̈́̽ͯ̂T̘̱Ȅ̵͈̯͍̟͉͙̽͊R͙̽͛ͨ̃.̡̔͋ͥͬ͊̚̚"̦ͥ͆͑

Mabel shuddered slightly, hearing her brother call her the same thing as Bill. Maybe he'd gained more than just powers from him. But that didn't matter right now, she had to snap Dipper out of whatever rage he was in. This wasn't the brother she knew and loved. "He's the monster? Dipper, look at yourself! You're the monster right now. This isn't you, come on, let's go and leave this stupid triangle alone. We can go and try out your levitation again, maybe I can walk you around like a balloon!"

Dipper turned his head to look at her, extinguishing his flame for the time, and let his arm drop. He still held Bill tightly so he could continue when this talk was finished.

"̮͍͓Y̖̰͉̮̞̏͒̑ͬ͐̾́O͕͑͌̏̿͋̍U̺̙ͤ̓̾̌̔̎̍ͅ ͔͕̞̰̫̬̱̋́̓̏ͭŤ̫̩̖H̐̓̐Ȋ̧͇͕͖̍ͪ̉ͯͨN̜̜ͧͭ͝K͉̺̟̯̟͍̊̊̓͝ ̙͙̤̈́ͧ̅̀T̘̞̥̥̔̾̍Hͤͯ͋͆̚҉̟Ȋ͚ͬ͗̌̎ͬ̉Ñ̰͓͙͖̈̊ͫͪͥ̿͝G͖̺͈̻̮̪̜ͦ̈́͟S̼͎̄͆͋ͯ͗̓͟ ͪ̒͆̈́͞C̀ͥ̓ͫ͆͡A̴̹̟̲͔ͨN̵̺̎̄̍̿ ͇͆́Ǧ̒̋̓ͬ̈̑͏͕̣̜̖Ọ̞̰͖̫̦͇̋͌ͩ͂̂ ̘̥̩͆͛͗ͧ̚̚B̻̫̻̗̞͈̟ͦͤͧ̄ͪ̚A̧̘͍̭͚͈͍ͬ̏͆ͭ́͊̇ͅC͎͕͈̈ͧK̸̲͚̩͕ͯ̔͒ͮ ̗̣̘͈͜T̞͕̞̫̗̠͖O͕̎͊̓ͩ͆̍ ̼͕̳̰̜̬Nͤ̎͊̿ͦO̼̦͖͔̠̅́͋Rͥͨͯ͒̒M̘̤͘Ǎ̱͙̩̹̑̓͐ͤ̐ͪL̪͍̠̖̼̩̅ͦ,̜̟͉͎̉ ̺̤͚̝̥̯͎ͪͨ̿D̝͓͉̯͎̥̩ͤ̈̇̇ͦ̔̍͞O̞͎̫͚͋̃̏͛ Y̪͈̲̱͖͓͈ͮ̎O͙̅͆̌ͥ̈Ȗͬ̉ͭ?̹̓ͫ̾̅̀̏́ ̸͇̪̝̯̙̒̓͑̈̊İ͔͇͓̳̯̣͖͌'̺͑͂̎ͫ͝M̴̬̭͇̟̘ͪ̍ͧͧͤ̄ ͖̘̘͓̻͉̋ͤͅǍͨ̅͟ ̯ͬ̒͆̐͡D̹̮̦̹̤͔͆̒̃̉ͅR̝̲̗̠̩͉̊ͮ̎͆̃͐͜E͖͈̩̬̩̤̣͜A̭̟͉̪̅ͭM͖͕͈͑̈́ ͚͎̬͔̥̹͡D̸̫̙̠̹̰̥͌̐Ẹ̵͙M̳̩̣̗̼͗̏̄ͨ̓̐̇̀O̪͚̗̬̰̩͉N̿ͭ̆̃͆ͣ͒.̜̣̗ ̜͇̟̣͙̠̌ͅĮ̣̖̗̰ ̟̝̄͢C̻̝͈̖A͔̣̺̦͎̻̋̒ͬ̌͌͘N͔͔̝̔̏N͕̫̭̬̩̐̆O̱͇͉̻̘̰̝͛͛̏Ț͚̩͊ͮ̽̋ ̣̺̝̱̬̞͗̑̈́E̙̩͕̥̯͉ͬ̓X̮̲̜̩̥̱̯̆̌ͩ͛͟I̢͍̦ͥ͛ͦ͊̅Ş̫̜̜͂̆͛T̵͕͚̟̗̼ ͕̥̘̬̯̪̲͐̓̎͑̈͝I̶̜̲̱̫ͫ̚N̳̺̠͓̻͎͊ ̢̘̻ͬ̎̏͊Ț̰̭̱͕̋̎͐ͫ̉ͫ̏ͅȞ̰͕͎̬̰̦ͣ͟Ẹ̺̲̤̠͝ ̎̍̐ͫ̇̀P̱̫͓̝͚̎̿͑H̝̞̯̖̥̊̓́Ÿ̡̘̘̞́̎̏S̱̳̦̮̱ͩ͊͟I̦̠̥͓͉̎ͪ͜Č̢̤͍̰̳͖͓̥̓ͧ̀ͤ̅ͤǍ̤̫̪̠͋͋ͮ̃ͪͤL̙͕̮̩̼̓͋̓̾̋ͥ͆ ̂̃̃̇ͬ̍͢W̭̻̜̮̿̈́̒ͥ̂O̵̪ͨ̇̚R̩͉̹͕̥̝͓ͮ̏ͣ̂̃L̯̯̳̮̐̉D̹̖̭͎̱̀̌̇̃̅,̼̻͎̹̯̂̍ͪ̋ͅ ̵̾͋Ȃ̸͓̥̈̀̄̎Nͮ̔̔̾ͧD̵̘ͥ͋ ͊̋ͤ̌̿̚̚E͎̦̣̙Ṿ̽̓È̺͎͕̘̆͗͆R̼̖̬̐ͥ͊͞Ý̧͙͚̹̟͍͚͈̏̎Ȯ̯̭͚͙͍ͫ̌͌̿̋N̮͓͖̍ͤ̈Ë̺͈͕̞̩̤̞́̀͜ ̖͇̯̲̆͆̈́ͤ͑̎ͅẂ̈̄ͅI̳͉̩͍͖͟L̸̬̩̺̘̽̂͑L̛̜͇͎̖̪̣ ̳͖̬͎͔̦ͬͮ͝T̓͑ͦ̚Ḩ̪̑͐͋͆I͙̥̼ͨ͂̌͊͐̽N̷ͪ͗͐̊̿̋K̲͈͉ͭͯ͗̅ͬͥ͊ ̣̟͒͘I̠͑͋̿'̧̯͔͚̬̰͍̲͌M̦͈͎̾ͯͮ̊ͫ͌͟ ̮̫̹̣̐ͮ͊̊ͤ̅͜ͅD̆ͦ͛ͥȨ̮̥̫͈̗̈A̬̘̻̹͂̋̎ͯ̓͝Ḑ̼͎͍͖̈́͛͊.̱̞̥ͩ̊́ ̴͖̙̗ͯW͓̦͈̟̪͕̜̊ͣ̎̓̌̚H̞̞̟̙͈̎ͮ̃ͮ͜A͙̼͓͓͎̾ͤ͜ͅT̖̥̪̼͈̻̰ͩ̌ͩ̆̄̚̚ ̱̮̌̃͌H͎̅ͧͥ̊͊A͙̟̞ͨ͜Ṿ̹͚̝̫̖ͦ͂͊̃̿̎̆E͆ͣͯ̎̈͂̚ ̹̲ͩͮ͋̊͛I̢̅ͣ̒̐ ̨̼̦̫̩̝̘̋ͥ̇̈̎G̺͎͎̻͉̘̫͆̍̐͌Ö̲̖͓̳̯́͠T̪̟̺͝ͅ ̤̍̈́Ṫͧ͆̍͏͙̺O̹̘̠ͯ͐ͣ̔ͦ̅ ͎ͤ̂ͫ̔̇ͫ͜G͍̮͊͠Õ̺̹̭̗̮ ̤̏̉͋͆̈́ͩB͕͚̌ͪÅ̂͑ͨ̏̔͟C̺ͩ̈͒K̶̜̯̣̘̪̂̾ͥ̄̚ ̾͌ͯT͇͙̼̆̀͐͞O̺͇̺̭̪͋ ̡͉͕͚͈̆̃̐̑̎̒͛Ì̝̘̦̮̥̘F̰̈͗ͥͬ̔ ̠̱̝ͩI̫ͫͮ͋̊́́̚ Ḓ̩̬̪̹͙̝̒͋͐͑̾̇̚͠O̦̹̱̟̾͗ͫ͆ͅṄ̫ͮͮ'̠̪̭̭̪̬̅ͭ̊̋͂͘T͇̪̻͉̬̻̩̑ ͈̿ͥ͗͢D̡̘̤̰͔͔͂ͮ̃͌͗O̾̏ͭ̿̈͠ ͓̭̩̹͚̠͊͡T̸̪̪̘͂̎̽ͯͪ̎̐H̞̟͓͐̂͆ͪ̚Í̬͍̺ͤ̎̌͌̉Ṡ̺̰̩̈́̚?̉ ͉̞͋̍ͥ̔W̷͖̹̰̺̦ͤ̃ͥ̿ͮḨ̤̤̻͇̜ͣ̌̓̈͗̉A͖͎͔̟͂̑̐ͮ̓̿ͯ́T̅ͮͣ ͍̤̾ͭͪD̽O̷̟̻͖̠̰̜ ̳̪͚ͣ́͘I͓̙̻̫̹̮̣ͦ͒̿̀ͤ̿͑ ̯̳̮̀͡Ḧ̉ͣ͌̅̐͏ͅÁ͋̇̍̔̀VË̶͇̼̱̲̦́͊ ̲͔̔̄̒̄ͤ̉͂T̩͈͇͔̦̔͘H̨͖̺͔A͍̩̰͘Ţ̠͊̿́ ̰̣ͫ̐ͮ͡I̗ͣ͛ͪ͌ͣ̎͊S̅̌́̚͝N͊ͯ̅'̫̭̤̆̈̔̆͑T̤̓ͣ̑̀͛̀ ̄͑͏̰̖̞͉̲̹̙R͇̫̝͈̲͇͈͘EͬV̪͚̠̜͈ͣ̄̄̄͑̈͢E͂ͩ͑ͭͨ҉͈̭̙͈̭͔̫Ņ̬͓̣͌ͤ̌̄̒̔G͑ͤ̑ͪ̄̑E̯̯̎̓ͣͮͣ?̘̥̲̪͎̗̑̀"͒̎͒̾̾ͬ͂#

Mabel didn't even need to think of an answer, it was completely obvious. She gave a smile to him. "You have me, silly."

His free fist clenched again, flame rekindling. "̐҉̯͔̝̞͔N̩̜̳̭͑̔͑ͣ̌O͍͎̯͍̙̿,̩̰ Ĩ̵͔̖̐̀ͥ̅ ͙̳̪̹̠͍̽̽̏ͤ͠D͍͙̗͈̟̥̳ͬͣ̃ͨ̓ͫ͟O̜͎ͦ̑̽̐̍N̺͚͉̿̃'̜͍̺̽ͪͦ̈T̀͂ͮ.̡͓̤̣̞͈͗́ͫ ͚̬̣͓͍̲̲I̿ͮ̆̒'̠̭̤̳͖̄̆̓͂M̛̈͌͌ ̣̞ͥͯͦ̋͘I̵̾̎M̱͋̎͢M̯̞̫̠͈̈ͯͦ̐ͮ͒O̪̠̐̂̀ͨR͔̰͕̰̟͈ͦͭ͂̀ͥ͑T̈́͌ͫ̅͆͢A̦̲̝̓͑̚͠L̰ͪ͗̈͜.́̌̓͠ ̈̚҉͖͈̰̠̳̟̹Y̲̹̲̜͇͌ͯͩ̆̈́̎͒͞O̱͍̗̩̙̣͕ͨ̎͊͜Ü̢͉̬̦̺̥͎̪̒͑̃͂̓'̭̼̝͖̱̋̍̋ͭͪͪ́ͅL͈̎̎̅̕ͅLͨ̓̐͌ ̜͓̟͕̻͖ͩͣͭ͑͜G̰̞͓͠O̹̯̲͋ ̰͔̺̗̻̪̪̂̂ͮͬ͝Ǎ̷̗̠͓͂́̇̆̎ͪN͞D̡̒͗ͥ͗̑ ̱͙ͥ̒̉ͭ̾͂D̠̮͙̩͎ͥ̐͆̏̿͑͊I̞̣͖̩̥̤͚̓̈̌E̫̺̯̠̎ͤ͆͒͝ ̛̦̦̺̭̟̗̞ͭ͑ͣ͒ͭȦ̝̂͗̚N̙̬̗̫͚̮͂̔͗ͅD̺̟̓̉ ̷͚͈ͫͬ̂ͦW̸ͨͭ̿͂̓̋̽H̺̥̭̼̓ͧ͗͐ͩ̓̓A̦͉̟̺̱͂T̤̖̘̝̥̞̾́̋̿̅̅ ͇͎͖̰͈͙̻̾ͮͭ̏W̶͚̝̦͔̠͓͋̎ͤͨͨ̚ͅI̸̤͇ͭ͆ͥ̈ͥL͇͔̫̲̎ͤ͐ͅḶ̙̼͖͈̩ͨͧ̽̅̋ ̥̖̼̝̹̪̥̒͂̐̚Í̪̱̪̜̿̀ͅ ̳͔͗̏ͥͧD̫̖̻͈̝͕̦ͧ̿ͭO̪̯̥̽̒͌ͨ̏́ͅ?̮̤̭̠͍̭̰͊ ͣ̏ͨ̈́͑͛ͯI̢͎͔̺̝̬̹͈ͧ̄ͮ̓ͤ̊'̩̋̈ͫ͌̾ͣ̒L͍̿ͩͨ͞L̽͊̃ ̲̮͍͍̪͓̻̊̓̉͗̚͡B̟̟̻̋͆̚E͚̯̱̪͖̦͓̕ ͕̟̱͇H͈̜̖͈̍͆̐̓ͩ͐Ë́Ṙ̠̜ͮ̈E̲͈̤̬̜ͨ̌ͣͨ ̛̙̝͊̊́̂̈́̏͐F̤̦̠ͯǑ̫̥̅Ȑͯ̌̓̉̊́ ̼̜̼̘̫͚̜̅A̷̭͇̖̞͛L͈͚͐ͧ̃͢L̺̤̞͛͛̎ͩ͛̌͢ ̸̞̤̤̹Eͯ̍ͪ̌ͅT̬͇͗̀͌͂͋̆̈́Ẹ̡͔͓ͮ͋̊͛͑̿͆R̲̝̹̖͙̰͛͊̏́̅͑Ň̿̂͏̪̗̰I̛̾̈́T͕͕͇̰̬̟Y̙̻͎̔ͨ̒̆̄͐,͓͔ͤ̉ͭ̆ ̢͖͕͖̂Ǎ̖̙ͦ̏̈́ͨ̒ͤL͙̑͗̂̆͌O͈̘̞̘̺͌̐͒͐͒̚N̢̦E̯͎͔̱̘̗̰̅͛̃̿̽̓.͓̼̂͜"̆̌ͤ̊̓

She kept her smile, shaking her head. "Don't worry, bro bro. You'll never be alone. I'm here, and I won't leave you... If I go and... die. I still won't leave you, because, remember when we watched that movie about the boy and the robot? The boy's sister died, but he remembered her, and that was what made him feel better."

"҉T̼ͪ͟H̺I͙̫͔̜̼̯͒S͙̺̬̅̔̍ͧ͂̔́ ̵͕̲̖̭̙͍͊̇̅H̳̱̺͎͗͐͒ͧ͡A̪̭̮͌͂S̷̜͈̺̰͚̤̬ͧͤͧ͋ͮ̉ ̘̦̭̪͔̫̊̌͒̊̚̕N͊̅̌Ő̜͇̠͓ͮͤT̛̲͕̮̩̖ͦͤH̻͚̘̙͍̼̹͗ͣIͩ͜N̵ͫG̣̘ͨͨͧ̓̅͌̐͜ ͉̟̃͐̑ͬ̋̚T̲̟͈͐̈́ͭͦ͑ͧͣO͔̳̱͈ͯ̈́̏͒ͮͅ ̝͒͊ͮͩ̎͑Ḓ͔̥̜͓͡Őͭͦ̂͒ͪ҉ ̙͙̮̮̼͌̔̋̀̎̃́ͅW̧̤̥͐Ḭ͈͕̬͉͊́Ť̝ͯ̄̅͡H̀ͨͬ́͘ ̺S̻ͤ͋ͬ͑͛̀ͅM͚͙̺͋͜A͈̤̼̬ͧͬ̔̅̏Ḷ̲̺̼̐L̵͂ ̥̲̥̈́̈͛̋̈ͥ͟ͅH̗̗̗̒̿̆E͉̭̩͛̎̎͌̿͛Ľ̰̽̈́̏P̤̬̳͛͝E͕̹̫̥̲͓͇Ȓ̎͒ ̠͐ͧ8̼̙̯̳̮̀ͅ.̮̣̤̅ͩ̈̿͛̔ ̥̈́̈̍̒̂̈͋T͎ͤ͝H̲̫͖̙͉̮ͤ̉ͪḀ̙͓͈̠͉ͤT̩͎̂̉̄͟'̡̹̳̼̈́̐̑ͮͬ͆̓S͍̝͉͉̼ͨ̽̋ͥͅ ͋ͮ̿҉J͎́ͬ̑̓U̪̘͎̭ͤ͢ͅS̻͈̮͉̺̦̱̃̀̌̒̀T̻͖͔̽̏̑̽ ̡̻̺̺͈̱͕̗ͬ̽͛ͪ̋Ā̧̩̫̝͗̑̍͆͋̚ͅ ̝̗̬͖̲̣̀ͭ̅M͈̲͉̭̲̥͌̂͌ͪ̒̿̐́Ǒ̌͐͑͋҉͉̦̦̦V̈̿̒̑҉̬͔̤̜̠̹I͙̋͋ͤ̃́̑Ė̛̼̟̠̬̱͓̂.̩̥͛̿̈͌ ̬̙̯̥̯̳̀ͤ̈́̕R̖̙̝̹̠ͮ͛̈̄ͅÉ̟̱͍͖̠̜͟ͅM̹ͤ̓̚E͙̮ͧ͛ͨ̕M̙̻̗͖̮̺̩̑͐B̵ͣ̋̆̐̆͑E̯͋̄ͧ̀̆̃̓Ṟ̙͚̄ͤ̾͟Ȉ̟͍͍̊̊N̖͔͕ͤ̑́̓G̲̜͚͇̖̫͈ͪ͂̽̕ ͉͗̿̓ͦ̾̆̄Y͓̫͉̠͎̏̽Ơ̮̟̫̫̞̟ͮͨͨͯ̾̊ͦU͙̩͈̠͉̭ͭ ͪ͋͌W͉͆̋͒͞ON̨̬͈͇̔͗̉̈ͩ'̛̚T̙͈ͯͦͣ͛̄ ̘̮̼̱͎̜̇ͭ̋ͮ́B̦̦͖͈̰͖͉͒̽̃̀E̷̬̟̩ ̺̥̳̫̱̫̉̌ͪ̃Ẻ̮͉͗͆ͯǸ̎̓̂̾҉̯̱̞͎͖̠̼Õ̻͖̹̜̖̲̋̃ͦͪͩU͊̎͑̎͋҉͚͎̙̗Ḡ̳͔̭͇̥̤͎ͬ̂̓̑H̨̹͓̣̞̝͂̂̿ͅ.̼͍̣̗͙͎ͦͬͣͫ͟"̵̰͚͙̟̠̣͓͊͋̈́̋ͥ

She walked to the front of him, watching as his eye's followed her and she took hold of his hand when he extinguished the flame again. "Don't be so silly, silly. You don't need to worry about stuff like that right now, don't be all gloom and doom. It's probably not even as bad as you think. You just need to calm down and stop thinking about the bad stuff. You need to think positive, like me! Come on Dipper, I need you, don't get silly on me." And she wrapped him into a hug.

That was enough. Dipper let go of Cipher, letting the triangle drop onto the floor in a heap, thankful to be alive. The blackness started to disappear from Dipper as he hugged Mabel back. Eye's closed as he let the anger drain away, allowing the tears to flow. And as he started to change back to normal, Mabel pulled away from the hug, still smiling, even when she noticed small changes about his appearance. His ear's were pointed, like an elf, which she thought was incredibly cute, and his teeth had sharpened slightly, which wasn't so cute, making him look even more like a demon.

"Mabel... I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me... I..." Mabel started hugging him again to shut him up.

"Just shut up, okay? Don't worry about it. We need to figure out what do with this, alright? And how to tell the others about.. you."

Dipper sighed, looking at her as he managed to pull away from the hug, the last of the tears cried. "This isn't going to go well. They either won't believe you, or they'll decide that you mean I'm dead. Oh no... What about mom and dad! How will they react?"

"You need to think positive, alright? We'll think of a plan for what's happening now and then worry about that when we need to, which when I'm done with you will be never!"

Dipper couldn't help but laugh slightly as his sister tried to put a positive spin on the situation, but his attention was soon drawn to the struggling demon that they'd forgotten about.

Bill was lying crumbled on the ground, his eye was bloodshot from the ordeal with Dipper moments ago, and he was trying his best to stand. "You... little..." He tried to speak, but find it almost impossible because of how weak he was.

Dipper and Mabel watched him struggle, either one of them sure if they should help him. But he looked like he didn't need it, since moment's later, Bill disappeared into nothing as he used whatever strength he had left to go back to the Dreamscape.

Mabel blinked as she woke up, completely forgetting she had been asleep this whole time, she stumbled slightly, but Dipper was there to steady her. "I guess it must be pretty confusing. I think I must be on the same plane as when Bill talks to people, since I didn't fall asleep or anything, he just... appeared."

She looked at him. "That's so cool! But that makes me wonder... You're getting Bill's power's right? So why can't you just put people to sleep like he does and talk to them? Maybe that's how we can tell the others!"

Dipper froze, smiling at the thought. "Mabel.. you're right! The only problem is... I have no idea how to do anything."

Mabel put an arm around him. "Then we'll just have to try it and see what happens. Come on, let's go get cereal." She started walking to the kitchen, before realising. "Wait... can you even eat now?"

"I don't really feel hungry, so I guess not." Dipper frowned, feeling slightly sad that all the things he'd used to be able to do were out of reach now, until Mabel giggled and said.

"More cereal for me then!"

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

You did this to me! This is your fault, Cipher!

Give me one good reason why I shouldn't burn you up into non-existence right now.

Humanity is nothing but weakness, don't try and save yourself from your fate. You will be destroyed right here and now.

Get back, Shooting Star. I have to end this monster.

You think things can go back to normal, do you? I'm a Dream Demon. I cannot exist in the physical world and everyone will think I'm dead. What have I got to go back to if I don't do this? What do I have that isn't revenge?

No, I don't. I'm immortal. You'll go and die and what will I do? I'll be here for all eternity, alone.

This has nothing to do with Small Helper 8. That's just a movie. Remembering you won't be enough.

* * *

So there we go, the first break down from Dipper. And this is just from the realization that he's a demon now. Imagine what it'll be like when he starts seeing the future and the past? So if you're a bit confused, the form that Dipper took can be seen here, on the transcendence au on tumblr:

post/99204436318

Since I may be a terrible describer. (No kidding)

And if the speech of Dipper was difficult to read, thats the point! It's meant to sound demonic and scary. So I hope that Zalgo text gives you nightmares tonight.

I'm not sure if they'll be able to reveal Dipper to the others in the next chapter or the chapter after that, but you'll just have to wait and see.

And I've noticed we're starting to slow down in the reviews department, which I'm okay with if you're just so amazed by my writing that it caused your arms to drop off. Just, I like to get reviews to know that people actually care about this fanfic, favourites and follows only go so far. But don't worry, I don't care that much that I'd stop this fanfic because of a lack of reviews, because I just love writing this fanfic. So see you next week for another chapter ;)


	8. Chapter 7 I'm Not Crazy!

I feel really weird, since I'm so into this story that I've starting thinking up the possibility of a sequel in the future. I dunno. Also, something will start to happen soon, which I will explain at the end of this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _I'm Not Crazy!_

* * *

Mabel was eating some Overly Sensitive Owl cereal while Dipper floated above her. Somehow he'd made a pen appear, and now he was furiously clicking it to try and calm himself down. He kept having horrible thoughts. _Mabel is going to die. I'm going to watch her grow old and die. What will I do then? Will I become like Bill and start making horrible deals with people. Will it come to that in the future?_

She was finished now, and slurping up the milk in the bowl before looking up at him. "You can talk to me, you know. Grunkle Stan's in the living room watching some reruns."

He stopped clicking the pen, floating down to her. It kind of scared him how well he'd adjusted to floating, he was really getting the hang of controlling it now. "But he could come in at any moment! What if he see's you talking to me and think's you've gone nuts!"

Mabel couldn't help but laugh at that. "But he already thinks I'm nuts! That's the whole point! Stop worrying so much, we'll be able to tell him about this soon anyway. Do you think you can do it yet?"

Dipper thought, sighing. He'd been thinking about it for about 20 minutes now, would he be able to do the same thing as Bill. Could he but people to sleep so he cloud talk to them in the mindscape? He was getting the hang of his normal powers now, floating was becoming easy to control, and he could even conjure up an object if he thought hard enough about it, though sadly the objects weren't physical, so Mabel was kind of disappointed when she couldn't touch the sparkling sweater he'd conjured up for her.

That didn't make sense to him. Dipper had decided he wasn't physical anymore, but how could Mabel even see him, let alone touch him. Bill hadn't known either, but maybe it was just a twin link or something. He just hoped he'd figure it out soon. But how come she couldn't touch the things he made, if she could touch him. It didn't make sense, but he'd worry about that later.

He sighed as he responded to her question. "I don't know, but then I haven't really had a chance to try it."

"Why don't you try it on me?"

Dipper frowned. "I don't think that would work. You can already see me anyway, so how would you know if it worked or not?"

Mabel thought for a minute, smiling. "Well, couldn't you tell when I'd gone to sleep when Bill did it? You said something was up."

"Yea, but.."

"There we go then! You'll be able to sense it, come on, try and put me to sleep!"

Dipper sighed, knowing she wouldn't take no for an answer. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate. He'd decided that maybe thinking of someone sleeping would put them to sleep. He thought of Mabel sleeping, trying to focus on that image but his mind kept drifting back to those creeping thoughts that threatened to swallow him.

His eyes snapped open as he heaved and heaved, eyes looking round frantically.

"Wow, wow. Dipper, are you okay?" Mabel was looking at him with a look of concern on her face.

Dipper just gulped down that fear, as he stopped himself from shaking. Tears were starting to form in his eyes and he couldn't stop them. "Mabel... I can't... I can't do this!" He could feel himself starting to panic again even though he had stopped thinking about it.

"Calm down, bro bro. You just need some time, right? You couldn't control the floating on the first try, right? You just need to keep trying and I'll soon be snoring like Waddles!" She giggled slightly, talking hold of his hand, but he ripped her away from him.

"Why are you so calm about this?! I can't do it! And you really think that people will accept me even if I can contact them? I'm a _demon_. I'm not even human anymore, how can I even fit in... All... I have is you..."

He felt the fear and the dread start to consume him again, as his fingertips started to blacken. But before the blackness could get any further, Mabel was taking hold of his hand again, laughing. "I'm calm because I'm thinking positive, remember? If I started thinking about the bad stuff, then I'd be a misery guts just like you! Just because you can't do it the first time doesn't mean you can't do it forever."

The blackness retreated from his fingertips, her little speech had calmed him, slightly. "It's not just that... Every time I try to focus, these... thoughts just come back to me. About the future, about the future I can have."

Mabel pulled him towards the floor, before hugging him. "That's for the future, stupid. Shouldn't you be thinking about the now?"

"But... how do I make them go away?"

"That's easy, silly! Just think about the good things that are happening now, won't that drown out the future thoughts?"

"I could... give it a try."

"Exactly!" She giggled as her brother hugged her back, but as they parted ways, Mabel glimpsed Grunkle Stan staring at them from across the room, or rather much, staring at her.

Mabel broke it off instantly, Dipper soon realizing the same thing and ripped himself away from her, staring at Stan as he started to float again.

Stan just looked at her. "Erm, kid. I normally wouldn't care much about... this. I've seen you do weirder stuff than playing with an imaginary friend, but I went upstairs to wake up your brother and he wasn't in the attic. I haven't seen him since yesterday morning and I'm a world class lier, so I could easily tell that you weren't telling the truth. So where exactly is your brother at?"

Dipper started to panic again, but Mabel just nodded to show she had this under control. But really, she didn't. She didn't know what she could do. Anything she said would be a lie if she didn't tell the truth. _Should I tell Stan? He wouldn't believe me, he doesn't even believe in the supernatural stuff me and Dipper find, so why would he believe me on this? But I don't have any other choice. Here goes nothing..._ "Dipper's floating right next to me."

Dipper stared at her, his face pale as he tried to figure out if she had just said or not, while their Great Uncle just frowned. "Okay, you know you just said floating, right?"

"Yep, he's floating right by me."

"And... why would he be doing that?"

"Because he made a deal with a demon and he broke it, and it kind of turned him into a demon himself. You can't see him anymore, only I can."

"You know, that would make a great story, but really, where is he?"

"But it's the truth! Dipper, try it again!"

Dipper reluctantly tried to focus on sleeping again, but he kept being snapped away because of nightmarish thoughts. "I... can't."

Stan scratched his back, sighing. "Look, when you're ready to tell me exactly what happened, I'll be in the living room." He began to slowly walk out the room, leaving Dipper feeling helpless and Mabel feeling like she was the one who was invisible.

But Dipper felt his anger rise suddenly. _Why does Stan have to be so stubborn, he's so ANNOYING!_ He shot forward like a bullet, with Mabel crying. "Dipper, don't!"

Almost like a dream, Dipper felt himself reach out to Stan's mind like it was second nature. And the world flipped and snapped as he felt the same feeling he'd felt when Bill had put Mabel to sleep, the feeling that he wasn't alone in the mindscape anymore. His eyes were closed somehow, maybe he'd closed them to concentrate on putting Stan to sleep? But he could feel that he hadn't just put Stan to sleep, he'd put Stan _and_ Mabel to sleep.

And when he opened this eyes, he saw a wide eyed Stan staring up at him, and he heard Mabel squealing from behind him. "You did it!"

* * *

Stan should have felt that something was wrong, Mabel would never make up something like that about her brother. Okay, maybe she would, but he could tell that the way she was telling it was a way someone tried to tell people they'd seen an alien, the way that someone believed what they were saying was true. But what she was saying made no sense.

Till he heard the kid yelling out in alarm and the world suddenly greyed. He'd felt the same thing once before, more than twenty years ago the same thing had happened, when a certain yellow triangle had offered him a deal, which he'd nearly taken.

But instead of a triangle floating in front of him now, he saw a demonic version of his nephew. The demon opened yellow eyes to stare at him, three words exciting it's mouth. "I... did it?"

Stan wondered if this was a trick by some demonic entity. Had it killed his nephew and taken his form? Maybe possessed him? Or, had his niece just been telling the truth?

The thing floated down towards the floor before it was tackled by Mabel, who Stan was about to tell to get away from the thing. But he saw the way the two were looking at each other, how they had started to laugh together. The sharp teeth, yellow eyes and pointed ears were just a distraction from what this thing really was. It wasn't an imposter, but it was... "Kid?"

Dipper and Mabel looked up at him from their tangle on the floor, and Dipper started smiling. "Yea, it's me, Grunkle Stan."

"But how..." Stan couldn't get out the words.

Dipper stood up after untangling himself from Mabel, she getting up after him. "Never make a deal with a demon." He said simply, before running up and hugging Stan. It felt real and rare, even if it was just a dream for them. But to Dipper, this was real. And he wanted to make the most of it.

Stan began to chuckle slightly, hugging him back before they both pulled apart.

"See, Stan, I was telling the truth. I'm the truth teller!" Mabel grinned, running round in a circle.

"But kid, did you really expect me to believe... this." He said, frowning as he looked at Dipper.

"We weren't going to tell you till I could I could do this." Dipper said, gesturing to the whole mindscape. "But you kind of walked in on us."

Their Grunkle sighed as he tried to get his head around this. "So what exactly happened?"

Dipper explained everything to him, with Mabel occasionally putting him to tell her side of the story. He told him about Bill, and the deal, and the powers he had started to develop, and what had happened earlier that morning.

And Stan just listened, apart from asking the occasional question. He looked like he was taking this extremely calmly, but instead he was burning with anger. _That little monster tried to kill my nephew. Couldn't he just leave this family alone? Maybe, once I get him back, maybe he'll be able to help Dipper. He'd know, wouldn't he?_

After all the explaining was done, Dipper and Mabel felt exhausted from the whole explanation, but they were just so happy that this wasn't just to themselves anymore.

Grunkle Stan scratched his head for a second, before sighing. "Kids... This is a lot to take in. Can we stop this for the second, all the lack of colour is freaking me out."

Dipper bit his lip, nodding, before looking at Mabel. "You'll need to be my bridge for now, you know, so I can talk to Stan?"

Mabel gave him a thumbs up, grinning. "No problem bro bro and we need to find out what else you can do!"

Dipper smiled, looking at Stan. "See you later."

At first, Dipper was worried he wouldn't be able to stop his, to bring them back to reality, but it soon came like second nature to him again, and all he had to do was click his fingers, and soon both Mabel and Stan were waking up.

Mabel grinned, looking in Dipper's direction as she awoke. "See, I knew you could do-" She froze. Since Dipper was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Wondering why I've updated eariler than usual? Well, I'm going on an update spree since I'll be going back to school in a week and a half so I'm writing as much as I can before it starts to slow down, as the updates will start to slow when I go back to school because of all the work and such, so enjoy the extra chapters!

Also, wondering what I was meaning at the start of the chapter? I wonder what will start to happen... Well, you must, but I don't since I'm the one writing. Okay, well, soon, in a few chapters, the events of season two will start to take shape. Mostly the key points, especially when it introduces a little someone, coughcoughFordcoughcough. It obviously won't be the same, especially since Dipper is now a dream demon. So it should start getting a little interesting and I hope you'll be along for the ride.

I'm just so happy that people actually like this story, after all, it started out as a silly idea I had one day. Maybe one day we can get the followers into the hundreds! (I can dream, can't I?) Till next time, which may be sooner than you think ;)


	9. Chapter 8 One Hell Of A Time

**EDIT: This is the fully updated version of 'Dreamscaping', which will now be called 'One Hell Of A Time'. I've kept the dialogue mostly the same as the orginal, as I only need to change the fact that it was the Nightmare Realm and not the Dreamscape anymore.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _One Hell Of A Time_

* * *

Dipper was unsure if he'd actually woken them up or not, since when he clicked his fingers, he suddenly found himself in a place that sent shivers down his spine. The only way he could begin to describe where he was was to compare it to hell, as that was the only thing he could think off.

The place was a big swirl of reds and purples, which would have seemed almost nice, if not for the huge amount of fire that was bellowing around him. It was burning high and tall around him, a never-ending flicker of those fierce reds. He didn't like it here in the slightest, and it didn't help that there didn't seem to be another living soul in sight.

It seemed to go on forever, this expanse of hell. He dared not to let himself touch the floor, he didn't want to find out if those flames would actually burn, so he floated high above them, trying to find a way out. He felt so scared and confused as to where he was, but that was soon cut short when he heard a voice from behind. "Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you again, Pine Tree."

Dipper spun round instantly till he saw the one triangle that voice belonged to. "You again!" He shouted, his anger spiking intensely as he glared at Bill.

The dream demon looked as weak as he had the last time, not any improvement in sight. He was still using that yellow cane of his to prop himself up, which seemed exceedingly weird when you realise Bill was floating the air. Most of all, he still displayed his bloodshot eye from earlier that day. "No need to get angry at me, kid. I'm not here for a fight."

But Dipper's defences were still up. "Then why are you here?" He asked, eyes narrowed. "Wait... where exactly is here?"

Bill managed a weak laugh. "You really are clueless about this, aren't you? This is the Nightmare Realm, kid. Demon's have to come from somewhere, right? Well, this is it! Every demon you'd ever come across lives here, pretty neat, ain't it? And besides, I need some place to regain my strength."

That name was enough to send a shiver down his spine. "But that doesn't explain why I'm here, I don't want to be here."

"You think that matters? Demon's can't stay in the mindscape for very long, genius. You think you could stay there and follow your sister forever? You need to come back here every once in a while to regain the strength you lost in the physical plane."

"But... what if she wakes up and thinks I'm gone... or that she can't see me anymore... She'll be worried sick! I need to get back to her!"

"Relax, kid. After a few hours you'll be able to go back, no problem. But for now, why don't we have a chat?2

"Stop acting like we're friends! Don't you have you're own friends to talk to? There must be plenty of demons here for you to talk to!"

"You think anyone will talk to me? I'm the weakest demon in this place right now, and I used to be one of the strongest, now look at me! Not one of them would be caught dead talking to me, it would make them seem weak if they showed any sympathy for me. Besides, have you even met some of the demons here? There are some that are a few screws loose... Plus they're really dumb."

"Then go away then! I'm done talking with... Wait... why was I even talking to you in the first place?"

"Maybe it's because you want answers, and you know that I have them."

"I don't need answers, soon I'll find a way to reverse this and things will be back to normal." Dipper told him, crossing his arms.

But Bill just started to laugh again. "Reverse this? There isn't a way to reverse this, Pine Tree! You're going to be like this for the long haul. I've already seen the future for you, and let me tell you, it'll be great for me to watch!"

Dipper was going to counteract him, but that final statement got him thinking. "Hang on, you can see the future... So does that mean I can too?"

Bill stopped this laughing for a moment. "Hmm, I guess it's possible, but I'm not so sure."

"What? How can you not be sure? You said I'm a Dream Demon now, so why wouldn't I be able to do all the things you can do?"

"Because I'm not sure about you anymore, kid. When you broke our deal, your aura looked like-"

"Aura?"

"It's like an essence that surrounds you so others can tell what what species you are, though only a few magical beings can see it, Dream Demon's being one of them. Now don't interrupt me again, don't humans find it rude when people but in?

"Yes, but-"

"Anyway, your aura looked like that of a Dream Demon, sure. But from our last encounter, I noticed that it was different. Undeniably similar, sure, but it was different."

"So what, I'm not actually a Dream Demon?" He asked, though annoyed that Bill had cut him off when the triangle had just said it was rude.

"I didn't say that. In fact, I think you might be a different _type_ of Dream Demon."

"There are other types?"

"Well, no. But I still think you might be different from the average Dream Demon. In fact, I believe you could be a physical Dream Demon."

"Okay, you've lost me. Aren't Dream Demon's unable to interact with the physical world? Because I'm pretty sure I went right through the wall."

"But you touched Shooting Star, didn't you?"

Dipper froze at that comment. "But... that doesn't make much more sense. How can I be physical for her, but not for anything else?"

"I haven't the best clue, and that kind of annoys me. But don't worry about that for now, I'm sure I'll be able to figure out what that means for you exactly in time."

"Speaking of time, you told me you saw my future. I need to know what happens."

Bill started laughing like he couldn't stop. "And there is where I stop. Do you honestly think I'd be able to tell you that? Knowing about the future could change it, so I'll be leaving you in the dark."

"You better tell me, or-"

"Or what?" Bill stopped laughing, his eye narrowing. "You'll threaten to destroy me again? Burn me to a crisp with your flames. Speaking of which, that form you used was quite terrifying, don't you think? I've never seen a demon with such a form. It makes me wonder how powerful you really are."

"Don't talk about that." Dipper said, his hands were clenched as he tried to hold his anger in, his voice was low and threatening.

"Trying to scare me away? The little Pine Tree is trying to scare me into spilling all the information! That form was monstrous, don't you think? I'd love to see it again. Maybe this time you'll accidentally hurt your sister, or worse!"

"I said... S̢͉̼̰̪̺̩̳̏̒̂̍́ͅͅT̝͕̫̪̝̦̣̿͊ͤͩ́ͮͮ͋̀͢Ỏ̖̃̓͘P̗̬̪͚̙͇̮͎͒̾ͨ͊͢͡ ̵̪̝̱͑͋ͬ̅̔͌̏ͥͅT̸̲̟̠̫͖͇̋̄ͪ̍ͥ̐̕ͅA̵̸̼͙ͧ̋ͥ̃̎Ḷ̤̼̎ͧͧ̈́͂͜͡K̹̟̺̻̜ͪ̍ͨͬ͋̄ͅI̙̝̬̖͓̯̬̓ͨͫ̾ͭ̑͟͞Ň̛̲̤̒̚͠G̻̣̫͎̎ͩͪͣͪ!͎͖͈͌ͩ̔͑́͌ͨ" He screamed at the triangle, just to get a laugh in return.

"Things are getting heated now, aren't they?" The demon chuckled, causing Dipper to frown as the anger started to drain away, and he looked at his hands, which were both ablaze with blue flame.

Dipper cried out in shock, trying to shake the flames out, but they just kept burning.

"You really don't have much control do you, kid? Flames can be a dangerous thing, you better calm that little temper."

He could feel he'd started to hyperventilate with the feeling for burning blue flames on his skin, even though it wasn't hurting him at all, his brain was telling him it was. Dipper clenched his fists, taking a deep breath as he tried to think about happy things. _Okay, do what Mabel said, think positive._ So he started to think about the good things that had happened that summer. The time he and Mabel had fought the gnomes on the first day in Gravity Falls. The time they'd made their mini golf course in the attic. It brought a smile to his face, and he soon opened his eyes to see that the flames had gone and all he saw now was a very disappointed triangle.

"Aw, that was no fun, Pine Tree. I wanted you to freak out some more."

Dipper couldn't help but grin at the Dream Demon, crossing his arms. "Well, maybe I'm not as weak as you first-" Something behind his eyes snapped, flashing images started to fill his head.

 _There was all three journals opened together on the page that showed a mystery weapon._

 _A bunker under a tree._

 _People in red hoods surrounding Mabel, Wendy and Soos._

 _A triangle portal._

 _Stan fighting... himself?_

 _And then, a teenager looking dead at Dipper. Wearing a suit of black and a top hat, black wings spread from his hips, he looked at him with yellow eyes and a sharp toothed grin, before whispering one word._

And then the images stopped, stars behind his eyes as he tried to steady himself, which really wasn't that easy when you're just floating in the air. "What... was that?" He said, trying to get his breath back.

"I'm guessing you just saw the future, kid." Bill said simply, which just caused Dipper to start panicking.

"That was the future? But what was with the books, someone gets all three of the journals? But I have number three, right? At least I think I still do. What was that bunker? And the people in the hoods? What about that portal... It looked dangerous... And Stan... I don't know. And what about..." He stopped. The last image was the worst, almost alive. And he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe who that teenager had been, even though he already could feel it. And he refused to believe that word. That name that he had spoke. _No, I won't believe it yet._

"Don't ask me, it's your vision. You'll have to figure it out on your own." Bill weakly pulled a pocket watch out of his chest and looked at it, before sighing. "I guess you'll be able to go back to the physical plane now, you've spent enough time here.

Dipper looked at him, it was strange. Within a few minutes, Bill had seemed to have mellowed slightly. "Um... thanks? Wait.. how do I.."

"Just think, Pine Tree. You'll be able to do it. And wait, just a hint. If you want to be able to see Shooting Star all day, I suggest coming back here at night while she sleeps. You don't want to be dragged back here unexpectedly again, do you?"

That surprised Dipper even more, had Bill just giving him advice? "Thanks.. Bill." He said, before looking at him. "Wait, don't you want to come and get away from this place?"

Bill just looked at him. "Don't you think I would of if I could, kid? I'm stuck here. I used all my energy getting to you this morning. It'll take me years to get enough energy back to project myself into the Mindscape."

"So your.. just stuck here in this empty place?" Dipper couldn't help it, he felt a bit sorry for Bill. _He's stuck in a place like this... A place that's a living hell... Wait, it'll probably great for Bill, he's a psychotic triangle. But he'll probably get picked on and bullied by the other demon's for being weak. He won't have any way to defend himself._

"Hey, I'm not completely defenceless." Bill glared at him for a second, slowly demonstrating how he could use his cane to whack someone, and that made Dipper remember that Bill could read minds, but it made him wonder if he could do it too. "Now go. Your sister's probably worried."

Dipper looked at him and hesitated, before nodded and he soon vanished, leaving Bill on his own.

"Maybe... For the next one thousand years, I won't be that lonely after all." The triangle said.

* * *

Bill was right, all he had to do was think, and soon that landscape of nightmares was replaced with the attic in the Mystery Shack.

Dipper looked around when he heard the sound of crying, and he saw Mabel crying on her bed. Quickly, he floated over to her. "Mabel!" But she gave no response, which made him pale. Had he lost the connection? Had the only thing that had kept him from losing it been taken as well? But then she looked round, sniffling.

Her eyes were bloodshot from the crying, but they soon widened as she pounced off the bed and crumbled him on the floor. "Dipper! You're... here! I thought.. I'd lost you, I thought I couldn't see you anymore!"

Dipper watched as she hugged him, and he soon hugged her back, arms tight around her. "I'm sorry... I didn't know, it's just... I was trapped in the Nightmare Realm."

Mabel frowned at him. "Nightmare Realm... That gives me the creeps. It sounds like the kind of place Bill would hang out. Did that isosceles monster kidnap you?"

"No no! Actually, he kind of helped me. He told me that all demon's have to return to the Nightmare Realm to like... recharge their batteries."

"So it's like sleeping?"

Dipper couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yea, it's like sleeping."

Mabel started frowning. "So you have to go there everyday..."

"Wait, wait! But I can go there when you sleep, so I'll be ready for a full day with you."

"That's great!"

Dipper smiled, before he remembered something. "And... I saw something."

"What? Was it some puppies made of ice cream?"

"No! No.. I'll tell you later. But I think we still have some people to talk to."

Mabel frowned, before she understood what he was saying. "Wendy and Soos! Oh... I hope your not going to try and use your powers to impress her."

Dipper felt his cheeks going red. "No! I... I'm over her, completely."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Mabel said, giggling.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Stop Talking!

* * *

 **EDIT: I'm no longer going to be including 'Northwest Manor Mystery', cause when I look back, it doesn't add anything to the story, and would just be a pain to the fit in. I've edited that part out of the vision.**


	10. Chapter 9 Blue Flickers of Ink

Not much attention for the last chapter, but whatever. I'm still going to keep going!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 _Blue Flickers Of Ink_

* * *

"Wow, dude. So you like, have superpowers?" Said Soos as Dipper and Mabel explained it all to him and Wendy. They seemed to be taking it every well.

Mabel smiled. "That's what I said!"

"Mabel, you're not helping." Dipper muttered, frowning as he floated about half a metre off the ground.

"Of course I am!" She giggled as she high fived Soos.

Wendy stepped forwards towards Dipper, looking at him. "Dude, this is so cool!"

Dipper couldn't help but feel his cheeks blush slightly, so he hopped she wouldn't noticed. "Really... Yea, yea! I guess it is.. The only problem is only Mabel can see and hear me on the physical plane. The only place I can talk to you is on the Mindscape."

"That's a bumber, but you can just take us back here if you want to talk to us, right?"

"Yea.. I guess. Wow, you guys are taking this extremely well."

Wendy smiled at him. "Dude, it's not everyday that one of your best friends becomes a demon. But honestly, I've learned to cope with weird stuff in this town."

Dipper was about to respond to her, but Soos said. "Wait, so this was caused by that triangle guy?"

Mabel nodded. "Yep, Dipper made a deal with him, but because he's awesome, he broke it and he got all these awesome powers as a reward!"

"I wouldn't exactly call them a reward..."

"Close enough!"

Wendy thought for a second. "Oh man, wait til Nate and the others see this, you'll definitely earn some cool points with them for this. You need to hang out with us tomorrow."

Dipper perked up, eyes wide and he laughed slightly. "Yea, yea! That would be great... You'd need to tell them about this first, or they might freak out."

"No problem, dude." Wendy smiled.

* * *

After about a million more questions, Dipper had woken them up. He started to feel great about this whole thing, he didn't have to hide it from anyone, and everyone had accepted him for what he was now. He even had planes to hang out with Wendy tomorrow, and that was going to be amazing. Though Mabel had started giggling and calling him in love with her when they'd gotten back up to the attic.

But he didn't know, did he love her still? Did he still have that crush he'd had since the start of the summer? With all the conflicting feelings in his head about what he was now, he wondered if he even had room for a crush anymore. Even if he still found himself thinking about her every once in a while.

* * *

It was getting late, so after a long day of revealing and testing out his powers, Mabel was ready to go to bed, and Dipper was ready to go to the Nightmare Realm again. But before any of that happened, Mabel remembered one thing as she was getting into bed. "Hey, when you popped up again, you said you saw something, and you'd tell me about it later."

Dipper suddenly remembered telling her that, and started wondering if he actually should tell her about the vision. He still didn't understand what it meant. "Um... well..." _What would be the point in hiding it, Mabel might be able to help me understand it anyway. It won't hurt to tell her._ "I think... I saw the future." He instantly regretted saying it.

Mabel squealed with delight, her eyes widen with curiosity. "Wow! Really? Did you see me? Was I cool? What about Stan? Did you see him. Does the world get really awesome in the future? Do I marry the boy of my dreams?"

Dipper sighed. "No! I don't think I saw anything in the long term future. It seemed it was part of a future that'll be coming soon. I don't know, but in the vision I saw, you didn't look any older. Maybe it's all going to happen this summer." He suggested, mostly to himself as Mabel didn't even know about much of the vision yet.

"Well then, tell me what happened! What did you see?" Mabel asked curiously, hoping it would be something cool.

Dipper bit his lip, before describing his vision to her, but, as he'd done for Bill, he'd left out the last vision. He wasn't going to share that with anyone, not even Mabel. He wanted to figure that out on his own.

"That's so cool! Maybe they're adventures we're going to be going on soon... Does it say anything in your book that might relate?"

Dipper honestly hadn't thought of that, so he floated over to the shelf where he kept it, and for a second, he forgot about the one fact, and he tried to pick it up, just for his hand to go write through it. It sent a horrible feeling to his stomach, he couldn't even touch his journal, the thing that had brought him so much joy with going on adventures and discovering secrets.

Then Mabel was there, picking up the journal for him. "Mmm how to make this work..." She hopped onto her bed and opened up the book. "You ask me to stop if you spot anything." She decided as a solution, before starting to flick through.

Dipper just sighed, this was going to be useless, why would he even find anything connected to this- "Hang on, stop!" Mabel stopped at a page that held a drawing of a tree, as well as the words 'Hiding Place?' He'd looked at that page before, it was the tree where he'd found the journal. The page itself hadn't really brought much to him, but he just wondered about it. _What does it mean? It says that the tree might be a hiding place, but it doesn't show how to get to that hiding place. It's like the answer is right in front of me, but I can't get to it. It's like it's staring me in the face, this is just so annoying!_

"Um... Dipper?"

He then realized that one of his hands was on fire again. So he quickly tried to wave it away, but not before Mabel caused him to stop.

"Wait, look at that!" She was pointing to the page, which now had new writing splattered across the page.

Dipper's eyes widened as he looked at it, the light of the blue flame was causing more text to become visible. "Invisible ink... Maybe it's invisible ink!" He brought the flame away from the book, and the text vanished, before his hand reached towards it again and the text reappeared. _Maybe the flame is acting like a way to show the text, like ultraviolet. Does this mean I was right?_

He and Mabel looked at the page, seeing how the the new text overlapped the old. More drawing was added to the tree as well, stairs leading down to a bunker underneath. _Bunker... Like the one in my vision! That has to be it, this is part of the vision, it has to be!_ "There's a bunker underneath, it looks like it could be the one in my vision."

"Then let's go down there then, Soos and Wendy could come too, I bet they'd be up for it! Maybe it'll have clues about the author, it says it's his bunker, right?" Mabel said with eyes full of excitement.

"Wendy... Yeah, I'm sure she'd want to come! But... We'll need to do it tomorrow. So, get some rest alright?"

Mabel giggled. "Don't worry, bro bro. If I feel tired in the morning I can just wake up with some of my signature Mabel juice!"

Dipper couldn't help but shudder at the thought, that was probably the only thing he missed now that he wasn't able to eat and drink. "Right... Well, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!" She snuggled into bed, Waddles seemingly appearing out of nowhere to sleep on top of her. Seriously, was that pig a ninja or something? Dipper hadn't even heard it come in the room. But he gave a shrug and said goodnight. "Night Mabel."

"Night Dipper!" And then he disappeared from her sight just before she closed her eyes.

* * *

The portal was lit up, it was working. Stan watched it from a distance, he'd need to be careful, he knew what would happen if he stepped too close. "That darn triangle, this'll be the last time he messes with my family, I'll make sure of it. Once Ford gets back, he'll be able to fix this." He wouldn't be able to do anything for Dipper, he was never the smart one of the pair.

He sighed, tapping at the machines controls to see how close he was to completing it. "Just a few more days, then I'll have him back. Then we can get all the things back to normal."

* * *

Things were not ideal for Dipper right now, especially now that he was in a space where all he had to do was talk to a triangle. And Bill really wasn't shutting up right now.

"So, you're going to go on a mystery hunt tomorrow. How exciting! Can I come?"

"I thought you couldn't leave the Nightmare Realm?"

"Well... No. So I guess you'll have to tell me all about it tomorrow night!"

"I'd rather not. I'm tired of talking to you already."

"You'll get used to it, don't you worry!"

"Really..."

"Well, new topic! How are your powers coming along?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Can't I ask questions, Pine Tree?"

Dipper sighed, this was going to be a long night. "I guess I've gotten the hang of the floating. And I can create an object if I think hard enough."

"Oh, show me!"

He glared at the triangle in annoyance. "But you can already do it!"

Bill gave a shrug. "Not for a while."

Dipper just gave him a glare, before closing his eyes to think, until Bill interrupted him. "You know, you do look a bit crazy when you close your eyes like that."

His eyes snapped open, and he found himself yelling at him. "I'm trying... to concentrate! How else am I supposed to, when you're here annoying me every three seconds?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't need to concentrate. You should just be able to think and then create an item, concentration isn't a part of it."

"Well, I'm not trying to get the hang of this, I don't want to be like this!"

"Why? It's not that bad! You have me!"

"And you think that makes it any better?"

"Good point. Well, there are some up sides to this! How about immortality? Wait... Your not a fan of that, are you? Very strange. Ah well, I'm sure I'll be able to find something you'll like about being a dream demon."

Dipper turned away from him. "Yeah, I bet you will..." He muttered, trying to ignore the demon, just as he started to come up with theme songs for them both.

* * *

Not much of a chapter, as this is basically just an in between chapter. Next, they'll go into the bunker! (Honesty didn't realize about the name drop when I said that, I swear.)

I hope you liked this chapter and get ready for some mystery solving!


	11. Chapter 10 Physical Reality

Now, just a warning. This chapter is going to mirror the episode 'Into the Bunker' a LOT. I wish I didn't have to do this, but honestly, theres no better way of getting the author here than going through important episodes. Also, be prepared for terrible Dipper Wendy crush. (Honestly, I'm I like the only one who prefers WenDip over Dipifica? Yes? Ah, I honestly don't think she's _that_ old for him, just wait till he's fifteen and it won't be weird. I've seen people date people with a much larger age gap.)

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 _Physical Reality_

* * *

"Okay, we're here to solve the number one mystery of Gravity Falls." Dipper said to Mabel and Soos in the Mindscape. They were standing outside the metal tree that was shown in the journal, ready to see if there was something underneath it. Mabel had asked Soos and Wendy if they wanted to come along on this adventure, and only Soos and shown up with them, so it made Dipper wonder if this was too kiddish for Wendy to join in with.

He held the journal in his hands, Mabel had taken it with her for him, and at least he could touch it in the Mindscape, so Mabel had given it to him there. He held it up for both of them to see. "Who wrote this journal?" He flicked the book open. "Thirty years ago, the author vanished without a trace, but with this new clue," Dipper flicked it to the page with the tree on it, and with a free hand, he clicked his fingers to summon his flame, which started to reveal the hidden text.

Dipper was nervous that he was getting _too_ good at controlling his powers. It was becoming so easy to summon the flame, even if he wasn't angry or annoyed, but it still unnerved him. That flame still scared him to death, it didn't feel like it was his, but he continued anyway. ",We may have found his secret hideout. If we find that author down there, we'll be able to find out the answers to everything. We just need to figure out a way to get down there..." He frowned, thinking. Though he knew they'd be able to help more in the real world, so he clicked his fingers and both Mabel and Soos woke up, the journal leaving his hands as the dream evaporated

But almost exactly as they woke up, he heard Wendy riding in on her bike. "Hey dudes!"

"Wendy!" Dipper and Mabel said at the exactly same time. He felt so surprised that she was actually here, he felt his cheeks flush, and the only person who could see him right now, noticed started giggling. He just glared at her and told her to shut it.

"Dipper's surprised you're here..." Mabel said, giggling.

Wendy looked like she'd just now remembered about the talk yesterday but she soon adjusted, though she did look a bit weirder out that she couldn't see Dipper, but knew he was there. "Well yeah, I'm so stoked about this. I've been wanting to go adventuring with you guys for a while. Sure beats picking up after my dad at home, we need to repair the house every other week."

Mabel explained what Dipper had just said to all of them to Wendy, before she ran over to look at the tree with Soos, leaving Mabel and Dipper on their own.

"Yea, yea... That's great.." He was laughing to himself, just as Mabel started smiling at him. "Oh, oh... You sure you're over her? Me thinks there's romance afoot!"

Dipper glared at her. "No, I'm over her. I thought it though and that was going nowhere. All I need to concentrate on controlling my powers and finding out the mysteries of this journal."

Mabel started laughing slightly. "You're over Wendy? Not in a million years!"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "I've moved past this, Mabel. You should too." And he started to float over to Wendy and Soos, before Mabel followed with a smile on her face.

Wendy was looking up at the tree, thinking. "Dude, is it just me, or does that branch look like a lever?"

He looked at it, and realized it actually did. he wondered how to get up there. But before he come up with a good plan, Mabel had already climbed up the tree and was hitting the lever with her axe. "Boosh!"

Dipper heard it and frown, looking up and gasping with Mabel and Soos. Wendy gave a shrug. "My dad used to make me compete in these lumberjack games when I was a kid. Guess I kind of ruled at it." But then the tree began to shake, causing Wendy to fall off onto a bush.

The tree began to sink into the ground, and Soos and Mabel had to pull her back to stop her from falling in. They all looked in amazement as the tree went underground, a staircase popping out of the hole it left as the tree opened up like a door.

Dipper looked at Mabel. "Okay, this is it. Whatever happens down there, we tell no one." And then she repeated it to Soos and Wendy before she gave him a thumbs up. Soos gave a nod and Wendy zipped her lip and through away the key.

"Now lets go solve a mystery, and I'll light the way!" Mabel said with a grin, tapping the light bulb on her sweater and it lit up.

Dipper looked at her in a weird way, but he was kind of thankful for it. His flame wouldn't light up anywhere in the real world, and even though it showed the text in the book in the real world, only he and Mabel could see it when it did. That was another strange thing he didn't understand. But the light bulb was still bugging him slightly. "Um, Mabel? Isn't that a fire hazard?"

"No. It's a fun hazard." She replied simply, causing Dipper to face palm as they started to walk down, Mabel walking in front like she was holding a light bulb with Dipper floating beside her. He felt full of energy. What would they find down here? _Maybe a lead to what happened to the Author, or we could actually find him! This is so exciting, it's like nothings different. Just me, Mabel, Soos and Wendy solving mysteries. Like everything's normal again. If only._

Then they entered the door to the bunker, and they all gasped. It looked so old... There was dust covering everything, cobwebs everywhere. "Whoa..." Gasped Mabel and Soos.

"Cool..." Said Dipper.

"This is so, stupid cool!" Said Wendy.

"It looks like a fallout shelter or something..." Dipper murmured to himself, watching as Wendy walked over to a 'Fallout Shelter' poster and picked it off the wall, dusting it off. "This is going over my bed."

Mabel looked at a barrel, grinning before dunking her head in it, coming back out with a load of caterpillars on her face. "Ha ha! My face feels fuzzy!"

Dipper looked looked over at a shelf with old boxes, labelled from 2012 to 2070. He wondered to himself. "This is incredible.. It's like he was preparing for a disaster, but what kind of disaster would need supplies for over sixty years..." But he was already wondering. _Bill is incredibly powerful, or at least he was. Maybe he was going to do something big? Well... I guess I can say that options out the window thanks to me._

But then he noticed something on the ground, a bean can that looked like it had been opened not to long before. "Mabel, look at this!" He called her over, and she gasped. "Wow! Guys, look at this!" Wendy and Soos gathered round. "Dipper says he thinks it was opened recently."

Soos looked around excitedly. "The author might still be alive, down here!

Wendy looked around, noticing air blowing behind a poster. "Wait a minute..." She tore off the poster, revealing an open hatch. "I think I know where he might have gone..."

They all started to crawl through the tunnel, all except Dipper, who just decided to float through the tunnel. The feeling felt strange to him, as he was practically walking through walls, but he just pretended he was crawling with the others.

When they all came out the other side, they gasped. It was a room, made of metal cubes, with some having symbols on it. He remembered seeing them somewhere in the book, but he couldn't remember where.

Wendy looked around. "Whoa.. Oh, man! Was this place built in the past or the future?"

Soos shuddered slightly. "This room is way creepy..." Just before he stepped on a square that had a symbol on it, and it depressed. The hatch slammed shut and locked, the symbols started to glow red and a buzzer started to sound as the room shook. Squares began to move and pock into the room.

They all looked around in shock, and soon Dipper realised. _It's going to crush us! This is bad... very bad..._

Wendy tried to push them back, but it wouldn't work. "It won't stop!"

Mabel looked at Dipper in panic. "What do we do!?"

He tried to think... "Flick through the book, I've seen these symbols before!"

She quickly did as he said, and started to flick before he told her to stop on a page. It was labelled 'Security Room', he clicked his fingers, summoning his flame and prayed it would help them. And luckily, it did. The flame revealed four symbols outlined in the invisible ink. He told Mabel what to do.

"Everyone, Dipper says to find these for symbols, we need to step on them!" She pointed to the symbols he'd shown her before she quickly put the book away.

Mabel, Wendy and Soos quickly found found three of the symbols, but one was still left, and it was about to become covered by another of the moving blocks. They wouldn't be able to get to it in time, only he could. _But I'm intangible, I'll go straight though it! But I have to try..._ Even though he new it wouldn't work, he flew for it, closing his eyes in hopes of something happening, and something did. His hand pressed up against the symbol, and a door unlocked leading to another room, though the room was still moving. He didn't think about what had just happened, he just ran for it. "We need to go, run for it!"

And they did, all of them managing to get out, barely. They were all gasping for breath. "Yes... Yes! That was nuts!" But then she noticed something, she could actually _see_ Dipper. He was gasping along with the rest of them. "Dipper... Did you say only Mabel could see you?"

Dipper's eyes widened. "You mean..." Then he realised he'd actually touched the block. He was the reason they hadn't been squished.

"Dude, I can see you too!" Soos said, all of them stunned. They weren't asleep right now, they could all tell, and Dipper did feel heavy all of a sudden, like it was difficult for him to float. He felt a feeling in his stomach that made him laugh, his stomach began to growl. Was he... hungry?

"You can see me! I'm... real?" He said, touching part of the control panel in the room they were in. Actually _touching_ it. He felt the cold metal in his hand and he started to laugh with joy. "I'm physical! I... can't believe it! I'm physical!"

Mabel collided with them. "This is awesome, bro bro! You don't need to worry anymore! See, that Mindscape thing must have been a phase, everyone can see you now!"

Dipper was trying to take it all in. He didn't need Mabel to relay information for him anymore, he was actually real again! Did this mean Bill was right? Maybe this was what Bill had meant. _He thought I was a Physical dream demon, maybe this is it! Maybe I'm a dream demon, but I exist in the real world!_

After about ten minutes of Dipper getting used to being physical again, they all stopped to look around the room. "Whoa, this so cool! It looks like a crazy surveillance room."

Wendy and Soos started to look around, and Mabel was just smiling at Dipper. "You know, this is the perfect time to tell Wendy about how you feel."

Dipper crossed his arms at her. "I already told her, I'm over her!"

Mabel pulled a face. "I'll believe that when Waddles flies. But seriously, you need to make Waddles fly. You need to make him a magic pair of wings!"

He sighed, he wasn't going to get out of this, was he? "Fine, maybe... I still... like her. But it's a bad idea. If I tell her I'll just embarrass myself and I'll be another guy she hates like Robbie."

"Dipper, you should just tell her already. One way or another, you'll feel better afterwards."

He sighed. "Look, I can't tell her no matter how much I want to, so just drop it OK?"

Wendy started calling to him from across the room. "Dude! Dipper, you gotta check out this weird metal closet." She was in a metal box, pretending to be a robot. "I am a robot, I have a metal closet."

Dipper called back to her. "Coming!" Before he looked at Mabel and said. "This never happened." And he started walking over to Wendy.

Mabel frowned, thinking to herself. _Dipper's so clueless sometimes. He wants to tell her but he's just too scared. I think he needs a push, he needs a push, right? That's a great idea, Mabel. Thank's Mabel!_

She ran over to Dipper who was walking over to Wendy. She put her arms around him, laughing. "Brother, whatever happens I just you need to know something. This is for your own good."

Dipper looked at her in confusion. "What?" Just before she pushed him into the closet with Wendy and shut it, locking them in.

* * *

Dipper's physical now...? Well, if you know a lot about the au you'll know why. Originally this was going to be the chapter for the full 'Into the Bunker' bit. But I realised it's going to take a bit more to write. Which is annoying. But I'm going to try and write the next chapter tonight so you can have two chapters today, but I can't make any promises. It's just a possibility.

I hope you liked this chapter, though it will hopefully split a bit more from the actual episode in the next chapter. So it won't just be me retelling the episode, I promise! ;) See you next time!


	12. Chapter 11 Controlled By Anger

Let's just get on with this!

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 _Controlled By Anger_

* * *

Dipper rubbed his head as he got up, finding himself in the small closet, along with Wendy. He was really out of his comfort zone right now, so he quickly began to hammer his fists against the door. "Come on Mabel, let us out!"

But the only reply he got was Mabel saying. "Oh, I'll let you out Dipper, as soon as you tell Wendy that thing you've been wanting to tell her! You'll thank me for this later!"

Dipper glared at her through the metal, she'd let them about sooner or later, she couldn't just leave them in there. But then he heard Wendy ask. "What is she talking about?"

"Nothing!" He said quickly. "Mabel's just been eating raw sugar packets again."

And actually, on the other side of the door, Mabel was eating some raw sugar packets. "Nom, nom... That's besides the point!"

He hammered the door again. "Let us out, now!"

Wendy grunted slightly in annoyance. "Uh! Where are the lights in here anyway?" She pulled a cord that looked like it could turn the lights on, only for water to start gushing down on them, before a blast of hot air dried them off. They cried out in shock, as a red light flashed and a door opened up to show a wrecked room that looked like a lab that had once contained some type of monsters.

Dipper and Wendy stepped out, looking around in awe. _This place just keeps getting more and more amazing. There's so much to find!_ "It looks like the author did experiments down here..." He and Wendy looked at the place, the walls looked like part of a giant ant home. There were huge holes dug into the walls everywhere.

"What do you think dug all these tunnels...?" Wendy asked as she looked at him.

"Let's hope we don't find out..." He murmured, just as they both heard a screech coming from inside on the holes. And they glimpsed a monster in one of them, causing both of them to bolt back the closet, banging on the door. "Mabel, you need to open up for real. There's a monster in here with us!" He shouted to her as they hammered.

But Mabel just laughed, leaning against the door. "Nice try! The only monsters are your own inner demons, Dipper!"

Soos nodded to that. "That is so wise."

Wendy looked at him. "Dipper, just say whatever Mabel wants you to say so she'll let us out of here!

Dipper had thoughts rushing though his head. _I can't tell her, she'll just hate me! But what if the monster attacks us in here because I can't tell her? No no no!_

"Come on, Dipper! Now's the time, bro!" Mabel called from the other side.

"Wendy... I- I- I'm going to find another way out!" He decided, before grabbing hold of her hand and started to pull her in the other direction.

Wendy looked at him in alarm as she was pulled after him. "Wait, what? Dude, where are we going?"

They ran in the opposite direction of the beast, sprinting into one of the tunnels. Dipper was breathing hard, was running always this tiring? _Not being physical really changes things... I never felt tired like this, before. I think I didn't appreciate it enough._

They were running, until they were halted at a dead end. "What do we do..." Dipper said, fear evident in his voice. Until he remembered something, his flame. _Would it work if I'm physical? I can't float, but then I might be able to if I tried hard enough. Maybe I'll be able to scare it away._ "Get behind me!" He said, trying to gulp up his fear.

Wendy looked at him, but did as he said. "Dipper...?"

Dipper could see the silhouette of the monster on the side on the tunnel, it was getting closer and closer. _Come on Dipper, you're a dream demon, right? You should be scarier than whatever that thing is. You need to show it who's boss!_ He took a deep breath, and clicked his fingers, his flickering blue flame burning into life. "Stay back, man! I'm not afraid to use this!" He called to the monster, his heart thundering in his chest.

But the monster kept advancing. It was closer now, he and Wendy could see the monster clearly. It looked like a demon centipede crossed with a spider. Not a pretty sight." It was snarling at them, saliva dripping from its monstrous fangs.

Dipper felt his eyes narrow. "I said, get back!" And without thinking he through the fire at it. His aim was off, but the fire was flying through the air unlike any fireball he'd ever seen. And it was changing course, heading straight for the monster.

It didn't have time to react, and soon the monster must of realised that it was dangerous, since it was backing away, trying to avoid the flame, but it was already hitting. The creature was lit up by the flame, the caverns bathed in blue light.

 _This is monster serious. Was it really thinking it could kill us, kill my Wendy!?_ There was fire in his eyes, burning anger that almost made yellow of his eyes glow. He had his hand held forward, controlling the flame, causing it to spread across the creature.

It was screeching in alarm, changing shape in hops that that would put out the fire. It looked more like a giant wolf crossed with a lizard now, still roaring with pain and fear. It had clearly underestimated him. _I'll teach you to fear me. You shouldn't have thought little of me. I'm not a snack for you to munch on._ Dipper was gritting his teeth with anger as he intensified the flames, increasing the creatures agony.

It was ramming itself into the walls, causing the underground tunnel to shake.

Then Wendy was taking hold of Dipper's shoulder. "Dude, we've scared it! You need to stop, or it'll cave in the tunnel!" He could hear the fear in her voice, if it was fear of him, or of the creature, he didn't know. But he wasn't going to stop. not till he'd burned it to ash.

When he barely even reacted to her, she tried again, grabbing hold of his shoulders and spinning him round. "Dipper, stop!" Then she froze. His eyes were focused ahead of him, narrowed in anger. But there wasn't a trace of Dipper in them. Right now it was just pure rage.

He grabbed hold of her, and pushed her away from him at full force, making her hit the wall. She tried getting to her feet. "Dude... Something's wrong, you're getting messed up. You need to snap out of it!"

Dipper watched her with inhuman eyes, before speaking in a voice that wasn't his, a voice that was scaring her to death.

"S̠̳̥͕̼̦͔̦̲̾́ͣ̊͛̾͊ͥ̃T̷͉̼̼͍̳̱̲̯ͥ̀̀ͨ̿ͤA̸̰̦̱̖͕͈̘̣̾̓͜Y͍̣̘͈̓͑͋ͮ̈ ̘̯̀O̧̧̮͓̗ͣ̿ͤṴ̡͈̲͇̬̗̜͍̬͒͊ͣͩ̿̿ͦͨ͘͞T̞̣̮͓̖̣͓ͣ̽ͣ͛͆̉ͥͥ ̴͖̳̻͐ͫ̓͊͆͝͞Ǫ̸̻̲̱͕͈̖ͨͣ́̋̒͊̽ͬF̲̤͔̲̠̪̾ͥ̐ͯ͂̚ ̶̖̪̙ͯ̾̍͌ͪ̐̓T̑́͂͒͋ͭ҉͖̰͙͇̣̱̼ͅͅḨ̴̼̝̺̥͊̈́Ì̥̩͈͓̬͎̃̃̽̇͜͡Ş̙̘̣̙͎̫̜̦ͬ̋,̈́ͮͥͭ̀͑҉̳͍̞̟̠̳͈͘͢ ̸̠̔ͬͨ̔̾͝ͅM̧̢̘͔̐̑͌ͨ̓͊Y̞̱͋́͆ͮ̀ ̨́̃͏̲͖̫̻̝ͅI̶̥̳̔͊ͬͫ̂̃͋̄ͯC̨͍̩͚͈̺̺̟̑̒̋̏̇ͥ̂́̚E̳͍͈ͯ̕͟.̧̔̈́̀͌͗̐̍͏͕̱ ̛̓̐ͭ̓ͣͥ҉̹̱̮̱T̮͈̠͓̆ͯ͗͟Ḧ͔̭͙͚̬̦̠̰͖̔Į̵̺͔̼̼̦͉̹̽̽ͮ͡ͅS̷̴̛̠͇̝̥͙̹͎̜̩ͥ́ͣ ̴̲͇͓̹̮́̃̿M̵̸̗͇̘͉̜͒͆̇̂ͣ̚̕O͚̣ͥ̑̀̍͢͠N̤̫̖̄S̵̭̖̎̿̌̕T̞̮̚̕Ę̋̆͑ͮ̍̾ͤ̋͏̬̹̪̳͍̞̣̹͟R̙̜̗̹̦͓̒̃ͥ͘ ̹̬͙̠̖̻̔̏ͨ̐N̤̦̲̗̞̘̝͊̂͊ͩ͋͛̋E̴̠̱̔̊̇̅͌̋̅̚E̵̛͓̻̮̣̜ͬ̔ͭ̊͑ͣ͡D͍͍͖̥̬̓̄̒ͅŞ̮̪͙̩ͫ́ ̵̲͙̳͕̖̯̦ͤ͗̇ͬ̃T̩̙̟̰̝͙̳̉ͮ͐́̓͊̚O̞̊͊ͮ̀͂̿͟ ̝̝͎̓̂̽ͯ̍͐ͣͯP̨̤͉̹̞͇͈̙̳͗́ͤ͗͆ͮ̓͜͠A̓̑ͥ̾̿ͧͨ̕҉̪̰̙̭̗Y͖͔̥͕̣̮͍̱ͣ̓ͥͯ͢ͅ.̸̼̱͕͓͙̰̝̅̽͝͡ͅ ̡̦͖̝͖̑͋̋Y̷͈̪͕̗̱͛ͫ́͗͂O̻̩̦̹̗̯̠̦̦ͧͯ̅̑͘Ũ̶̧̡̼̻̤̯ͨ̿͂̒ͬ'̰̼̺̲͛̃̅Ļ̵̶̯̫̠̞̩̥̥͓̱ͧĽ̘̳̠͊̿ ̸̴̘͉͒ͤ̍̿ͭ͒̇͠B̰͈̹̼͔́ͧ͝Ę̜̮͇͉̮́ͤ͝ ̼͖͒ͪ̐̂̀ͦ̄͢Ť̸͉͋̈́̓͛̿Ḥ̤͎͉̣̟̘̜̯̿͆̏̈E̵̩ͧͦ̀ ̶̵̝̣̭̖̘̭͖̌́͠L̵̷͓̞̬̠͈̝̩͌ͬͅA̡̢̤̰͖̣̮͂S̽̈́̊ͯ͒҉̯̻͝T̨̻͇̹̑ͩ́͒̚͘ͅͅ ͨ҉̦͍͎͓̦͈͈ͅP̶͍͇͇͖̄̕ͅĚ̬̘̹͙ͯ͑̓̕R̸͇̱̦͖̣͇͎͊̌̂̎ͫ̈́̌Şͦ͂̏ͮ͏̺̣͙͢O͌ͭ̐ͥ̐̆ͫ̓͏͕̳͍͈͖̠͜Ň̡̫̣̪̫͚͇͈̺͉̈̓̏ͦ̌̿ ͣ́҉̝̤̙͢I̛̻͎͓͈̗̤͚͙͂̑̌̒́͞T̴̙͚͔͐ͮ̍́̐͛ ̸̲̫̻͈͈̺͈̰̘͐̕͠T̢̢͉̖͙̬̔̓͑ͬ̑̅̚Ŕ̠̳̪̱̹̳̓ͫ͒̌ͦͦ͒́͝I͎̥͉̓̽̌̈͞E̷͇̜͈ͪ͗ͨ͆͂̐̕͟S̮̪̙͇̻̑ͭ̍̌́ͣ̈̋ͅ ̘̰̞̳̪̪͒ͧͫͨ̈́̈́̓̈́̀ͅṮ̸̙̤͚̟̬̪̝̇͘͘O̓͌͆̒̇͂͋ͧ͏̛̙̖̙̖̩̩̥ ̴̶̟͙̦̞̦̫̝̞̄͆̈̇͋̽͆͟H̖̖̓̏ͧ͂͊̌̽͂A̠̙̥̥̱̟̼̼͛͌ͤ̎͆̓́R̨̥̹̦͉͉̤̝̳̈̊ͧ̇ͅM͇̮ͬͪ̋̉̍́̚ͅ.̘̣̱̘̳̪͒ͭ́͛̿ͬ̐̔""

He clicked his fingers, and Wendy began to see the tops of his fingertips blackening as she fell down again, and the last thing she heard was the creatures screams intensify.

* * *

Mabel and Soos were still exploring the room as they waited for Dipper and Wendy to come out when they were done. Mabel was fiddling with some buttons on the machinery while Soos was trying on a lab coat.

"Sure are taking their time in there." He thought out loud, before managing to get the coat on and picked up a briefcase. "Hey, do I look smarter with this coat and brief case? I feel like I look smarter..." Which earned him a few laughs from Mabel about how smart he looked.

She was figuring out all the buttons on a dashboard, before looking at a piece of paper tapped to it. "Experiment number 210: The Shape Shifter..." She read out loud.

Soos looked at it, before remembering. "The Shape Shifter? Uh, dude? Didn't Dipper say there was a monster in there with them?"

Mabel gasped. "I thought he was just joking!"

Soos started to panic slightly. "You know Dipper's jokes of terrible!"

"Dipper! Wendy!" Mabel gasped, running over to the metal closet and opened up the door. It was empty, but opened on the other side, leading to a much larger room. "They have to be in here. Come on, Soos! We need to save them!"

They both ran through the door, hearing screaming coming from one direction. "Come on, this way!" She told Soos as they ran into one of the tunnels. It was dark at first, even with her light bulb sweater still on, but the tunnel began to light up as they got closer, but the light started to feel hot, even from a distance. And it was... blue? Mabel realised almost instantly. "Dipper!" She called, running onwards, and as they turned a corner, she and Soos saw a monster, and soon noticed that it was one that was screaming.

It was on fire, burning with an unholy blue flame. It was white and slimy, with a snout filled with four fangs that hung outside of it's mouth. It was slamming itself into the cavern's wall as it screamed, trying to put out the fire.

Soos gasped. "Dude... Is that... Dipper?"

Mabel soon followed her friends gave to a figure behind the monster, and she recognised it instantly. It was definitely Dipper, and he was in the black and yellow form he'd taken yesterday morning. The form that had nearly killed Bill Cipher. "Dipper... Dipper!" She cried, spotting an unconscious Wendy behind him, what had happened, had the creature attacked her?

"Soos, wait here... He'll listen to me." She ran past the burning Shapeshifter quickly, the intense heat from the flames causing her eyes to water. "Dipper, you need to stop!" She ran to him, trying to snap him out of it. "Come on, this isn't you!"

"Y̶̛̘͕̠̼̖͑ͦ̐̀̆͒ͅÔ̞̝̌̍̉̓̿̚Ù͙̰̙̗͙̤̤̺̼̾̎ ̫͈͋̓͛ͥ͛ͣ̋͝S̱̦̠̬͚̈ͨ͘H̳̹͇̗͉͉ͣ͘Ȍ͈̳̓͆̆ͥ̀͝U̹̮̼̦̭̗̅ͪͅL͙̦̰͚̿͘̕Ḍ͔̖͌ͬ͗̕͟͝ ͚̭̜̟͎͚̅͋̏̆͑ͮ̈͡Ă̜̪̬̭̞ͧ̐̉͟L̶̨̙̩͇͛̑̈́͢L̸̵̫̲̦̺̲͒̇ͅ ̢͙̻̠̺̒̄̐S̨̲̥̦̩͔̪̞̹̥̽̄̾ͮͦ̿͆Ţ̼͓̖͌ͮ̄Ǎ͐̄̈́̈́̉͏̥Y̜̖̦͚͍͚͗̈́̎̏͜ ̫̝͈ͣ̽̓͒̑̚O͂҉̱̣͖̜̞U̷̼̣͖̙̞͓̠̔̂͒̓T̴̖̘̩͍͈̦͍̟͒ͫ̃͟ ̛̫͓͎̤͈̇͞Ơ̷̷̯̺͎̳̺͉̘̮͗̐̀̾̍F̢̡͖͈̜̹ͣ̊͝ ̲̲͕̈̓ͩͪͪ̒͊ͤT̡̜̯̲ͥͪH̘͙͔̟͔͉͌͋I̴͈̜̝̓ͬͧͪͮŚ͓̠̘̖̹̮̐͘.̵̠͎͍̠͇̱̯ͣͬ̈ ̯͚̼̬͚̰̽͌̑͆͢͝Iͫͪ͟͏̙̜̠̱͚̜̳N̴̖̙̆͜͠C̋̈̆͌͐͏̰̜̲̬̞͇̳͙̙͝Ļ̴̝̦͎̹̱ͧ͗͂̑͌̇Ų͓̟͖̞͓̍̾̄ͭ́̿̉͘D͉̫̗̙͚̙͙̆ͭ̒̎̄͘͠Ĭ͖̰̯̭̑̅͠ͅN̨̡̤̒̊ͭ̓̿G̡̢̖̥͔̍̋͌̽ͯͪ ̷̯͍͇̝̖͖̞̻̋ͥ̿ͯͬŶ̹͍͔̗͖̔ͥ̈ͤ͢͝Ǫ̜̣͍ͬ̄́͂ͯ̅̓͛Uͮ͋͐̉ͧ̇͏̯͍̞͍̜̮́,̶̢͎̤̤͚̗̤̱̉̀̍̌ ̷͈̯̠̎ͣ͗͛ͭ̆ͤ̾̇S̶̱̠͚ͤ̏ͣ̓͗̈́͟H̵̴̭̰̘ͩ͑̂̎̑ͤ̿̐ͦŐ̩̫̙̤͖̯̼͌̑̄ͮ̕͠O̶̢̗͑̽̃ͭͣT̷̺͙̜̲͍̝́͆̎I̡̫͔̜̰ͩ͆̀͢N̢̥̪̦̤͖̘̪͍̦̆͜͟G̸̡̭̳̬͌ͣ̎̽̋́ ̈́ͯ̄ͣ̿̌̉͝͏̹̫̳̜̗͉S̈̄ͤ̎̈̎̄ͮ̚͏̠̲̗̪͚̯̠T̢͓̼̭̙͉̲̲̬͔̽̄̾̕͝A̸̡͇̗ͭ͑̀ͪ͟Ṛ̭̟̱ͬ͋̄̽̀.̪̺̪̲͔̰͉̞̉̈̐ͯ̚ ͙̥̫̏̒̓͗͞ͅǴ͓̣̬̞͕̭͈̥̍ͩ̒̏͑̆̒̽̕ͅOͦͮͪ͏̡̖̳͚̙ ̨̭̲̙̦͉̪̅͑ͮͪͣ̌͑́Ḅ̺̬ͫͥͧͣ̂ͮ̋̿͞E̛̮͔̳̖̊͡ͅͅF̵̪̬͇̟̥̮͛̾̍̾́ͮ́̇͠Ō̥̲͈͓̤̱ͫͤ̄ͨ̒ͫ͠R̶̗̞̹̤̲͇̅̑̏ͩ͘͢ͅḚ̸̯͍̦̝̯̼̮̣̈́̑ͦ ͉̬̗ͭͤͫ͛́ͅĨ̸͎̟̬̘͒̈ ̵̷̱̰̩̺̮̻̞̺̀̉͒̌̾ͮ̒̀H̷̩̮̮̱̽͗̏̀ͧͬͦ̇̚Ḁ̷̗̗ͣV̛̲̺̳̼̤͔̲̅ͣ̀͊̀Ȩ̭̭̮̖ͧ͋́ͪͫ͢ ̴̩̜̗̟͋̌͛̀̏̊͡T̞͙̗̋̋͂ͮ̅̑͟ͅÖ̵̺̹̲͓̿̉̈̓̾ͨͫͫ͞ ͇̦̘͐ͬͬ̀͞H̙̻̝͕̹̠̺̤͚͂ͨͣ̎͆̈̒͢Ų̲͕̮͚͈̗͚͓̯ͯͦ̎̀R̗̤͔̱̩̿̈͐̑͢T̢̯̱̬̠̱̯̣ͦ̍ͥ̓́ ̴̻̝͙̼̰̭ͥͥͪ̿̌ͪ̐́Y̛̪̩̝͔̝̹̗̘̽ͥͮ͐̂͑̊̽Ơ̧͖ͬ̓̿̓ͦͪ͒͆́Ȕ̫̲ͧͤ̋ͪ͘ ̽͠҉͙̭̪̫͈͠T̴͈̖̰͙͕̙̯ͩ̓ͣͣO̶̳̺̮̻͍̹̽ͤ̿͌͐̀͘O̙̲͍̲̭̮̘̼ͬ.̆͋̈́ͣ͏̣͘" He said, not lowering his concentration from the creature, continuing to burn it.

It's screams were weakening now, but it still continued to ram itself into the cavern wall. It was going to bring the whole tunnel down.

Mabel soon realised this, they'd all be buried alive if Dipper continued this. He needed to stop, for both their, and the Shapeshifter's sake. "Stop acting so tough, stupid! Remember, you don't want this! You don't want to be a monster like Bill, do you? Do you!" She felt herself starting to cry, even as Dipper stiffened.

"You're... You're going to hurt us all... The cavern's going to come down. You need to snap out of it. You need to be my brother again. Please... I want my brother back..." She didn't know when, but at some point she'd started to hug him, her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, crying for him to stop.

"M̑́̈́̽͆̾͡͏͈̟͙̫̪̥̜̯â̢͕̹̣͇̥̜̇͒̾͌ͥ̀ḅ̶̳̗̺ͩͥ͢e̵̱̝̟̩͓̹̔̌ͤ̆l̖͔͎̇ͧͧ̃ͣ̊ͣ͒͌ͅ.̴̢̞̠̏ͪ͌ͣ̐ͪ̾ͧ.̡͈͈̩̘̯ͣ̀.̸̣̫̐͗ͤͬ̒͘͝" Dipper suddenly murmured, the fire that surrounding the creature decreasing, draining away like water. But it had already been too much for the Shapeshifter, and it's body crumbled away as ash, it's last scream echoing in the tunnel.

Dipper began to change back to the normal, he anger leaving his mind as he started to feel more in control. It was horrible. He'd felt like the anger was controlling him like a puppet, and Mabel had been the only one to give him strength to fight against that anger. He never wanted to feel like that again.

His legs buckled beneath him, but Mabel was there to keep him standing. "I'm... so sorry..." He murmured.

To his surprise, she was laughing. "Just shut up, okay?" He started to hear her cry as well. "You can be so stupid sometimes, you know that?" Mabel was laughing and crying at the same time now. And for the first time in almost two days, he felt his conscious drain away, and darkness swallowed him.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Stay out of this, my Ice. This monster needs to pay, you'll be the last person it tries to harm.

You should all stay out of this. Including you, Shooting Star. Go before I have to hurt you too.

Mabel…

* * *

See? I said I might have the next chapter up for tonight. Pretty good author, aren't I? Giving you two chapters in one day... I'm too good for you! Anyway, see, that wasn't the 'Into The Bunker' you remember, was it? I honestly hated that Shapeshifter, so this was my time to take out my hatred on him. Yey!

Next chapter tomorrow, let's what more interesting stuff we can do in this story... And I hope you liked the chapter!


	13. Chapter 12 Confessions Of The Past

You know that feeling when you can't think of anything to do but write? That's what I'm feeling right now. And too my latest guest review, heck! I might actually write three chapters today with the feeling I've got. Who knows?

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 _Confessions Of The Past_

* * *

Unconsciousness was a strange thing to Dipper now. Maybe it was because dream demon's _couldn't_ go unconscious. But somehow he'd done it anyway. It was different from before, he still felt aware of his surroundings, he could hear what was going on in the real world, but he couldn't see, as his eyes were shut tight. It was like he was paralysed. He'd read about things like sleep paralysis, where the body thinks you've gone to sleep but your mind is still awake. But this felt so much worse.

He could hear the chaos that was happening in the conscious world, Mabel and Soos panicking as the cavern began to cave in. The Shapeshifter's final efforts must have worked, before he could feel the ground shaking with the impact of stones as parts of the ceiling came crumbling down. Thinking about that brought a sickening feeling to his stomach. _Did... Did I really kill that thing? All I wanted to do was scare it off, I didn't want to kill it, did I? This is all my fault. We're all going to get buried alive here because of me, and I can't even do anything to help. Wake up, damn it. Wake up!_

But his body wouldn't comply, all he could do was pray they could get out in time.

Dipper felt himself being shifted, picked up and moved. By who? He didn't know, Mabel maybe? He heard Mabel shouting close to his ear, so it had to be her, right? He could hear the strain in her voice as she carried him, it had to be hard for her. Neither of the twins had been able to carry to other while walking, let alone running as they were now.

Even with the peril that was unfolding, Dipper actually found the peace of mind to think about what had just happened. _Did they get Wendy? Soos has to have picked up Wendy, right? Oh hell... She's going to hate me after this, did I actually force her to go to sleep? I'm getting worse and worse. I need to ask Bill about this tonight, maybe he'll know what's going on with me. He didn't seem to know much about this before, but maybe he was just holding back information? I don't know... Why am I even thinking about this, I don't even know if we're going to be able to survive this yet!_

More rocks were coming down, and he heard Mabel cry out as one came crashing down right next to her. _Keep going, keep going! We've got to be nearly there!_ He prayed to himself as he continued to try and will himself awake, his body still wasn't obeying him.

They kept running, faster and faster, heard Soos trip over on a fallen rock at some point, making him fear that something would happen to him, before he thankfully heard the man get up on his feet.

The ground was shaking so much now, it felt like an earthquake as the ceiling started to come down quicker and quicker. It was so terrifying for Dipper right now, so he tried to shut it out. He tried to shut out the outside world and...

 _A young Old Man Mcgucket working on a portal._

 _A young Old Man Mcgucket looking at one of the journals._

"Dipper... Dipper! Dipper!" Mabel's voice brought him back, had he just zoned out? His eyes were opening too bright sunlight in his eyes. Had they gotten out? What had he just seen? Was it another vision? _It wasn't just scattered like last time, and it was short. Why was it focused on Old Man Mcgucket? He looked younger, and he had one of the journals... Wait... Does this mean..._

"Dipper, are you okay?"

His sisters voice drew him out of his mind, his body trying to adjust to being awake. It felt stiff from not moving for so long... Wait... "How.. long was I out?" He asked as a murmur, eyes squinting in the sunlight.

"About half an hour. Wendy woke up about ten minutes ago. She... looks a bit shaken up."

Dipper sighed, closing his eyes for a second as he sat up on the ground. He opened them again for his eyes to finally adjust to the outside light. They were on the grass a bit away from the tree. He noticed that it was in the normal tree position, it must of gone back to normal once they'd left. "I'm not surprised..." He murmured slightly, looking at the floor as he thought about Wendy. "I forced her to go asleep. It wasn't even 'Mindscape' kind of go to sleep. It was just... click the fingers and bam! She was out. She probably hates me now, or is at least terrified of me."

He looked over to the side, Wendy and Soos were sitting on a fallen log. Wendy was looking at the floor, shaky breathing and she was hugging herself slightly. Had he really done that?

"Dipper... Don't blame yourself... You didn't-" Mabel tried, but he cut her off.

"No, Mabel. I did! It was me, no matter how much you say it wasn't. I'm not being possessed or controlled by something else. I'm the one who's going nuts and killing people. Think about it Mabel. I _killed_ that monster, but when I think about it... who really was the monster? I could have let it run away, but I didn't. I just stood there and watched it burn."

"It was going to hurt you and Wendy, right? You did it to protect you both!" Mabel took hold of this hands. "You need to stop this, okay? Stop blaming yourself for everything! It was me, I should have believed you when you said there was a monster. So if it's anyone's fault, it's mine!"

Dipper looked up at her, the hint of a smile on his face, but it never grew more than that.

* * *

It was mostly silence for the next half hour, Mabel occasionally trying to crack a joke before getting a laugh from Soos. But it was clear that everyone was shaken from what had happened. Especially Dipper.

But the air seemed to lighten up when Soos decided to go get some afternoon cereal, which Mabel decided to get too. But Dipper was sure she'd decided to go so that Dipper and Wendy could have some alone time, so he took a deep breath and sat next to her.

Wendy instantly stiffened, causing Dipper's heart to lurch. "Look... About before... I'm sorry... It's just this thing that happens to me sometimes... Whenever I get mad. But.. I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore." He began to get up again to walk away, just as he got a response.

"Dude... It's okay. Things aren't always going to be... sunshine and happiness. I know that... Now that you're... a demon. I know that you were just trying to protect me... even if it did just get a bit crazy." She didn't look as shaken up anymore, she was starting to relax.

He sat back down, sighing as he looked at the floor. "It's not just that... I didn't want anything to happen to you... The thought that something could have hurt you made me so angry. And I must have lost it from there." He took a deep breath. "I think.. it's.. because I- I- I always.. had a crush on you." He didn't know why, but saying out loud to her made him feel better, but so embarrassed as well.

"It's okay..." He heard her say, so he looked up. "You know, I always kind of knew."

His eyes widened. "What, you did?" _Did Mabel tell her? I swear if she told her..._

"Yeah man..." Wendy started to laugh, the last of the tenseness melting away. "You think I can't hear the things you're constantly whispering under your breath?"

Dipper slumped, groaning as he covered his eyes with his hands.

"I'm super flattered, really. But I'm too old for you, dude. You know that right?"

He sighed. "Mabel said confessing would make me feel better."

"Well, how do you feel?"

"Nervous... Embarassed... And kind of itchy." He murmured, scratching his arm.

She laughed. "Dude, don't be itchy, man. Look, this summer was super boring until you showed up. I have more fun with you than practically anybody else. And if you ever stopped being my friend, ... I would like, throw myself into the Bottomless Pit!"

Dipper smiled slightly. "So... Things won't be awkward?"

"Dude, I woke up with Soos staring right into my eyes. That was awkward."

"So, friends?"

"Yeah dude, friends!" She said, shoving off the log backwards, causing them both to start laughing, before she pulled him back onto the log.

Wendy smiled, before getting onto her bike. "So, Dipper, if you ever have any more plans for mystery solving, give me a call, alright? I'd love to join in again." And then she was gone, riding away.

Just before Mabel popped out of the bushes and grinned at him, which actually caused him to jump slightly, even though he expected it.

"So, how did it go?" She asked as she sat next to him.

He sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything, all the time." She answered with a grin.

"Mabel, how can everything be so amazing and so terrible at the same time?"

"I'm sorry I was so pushy... If It's any consolation, I'm already working on a list of you're potential rebound crushes."

He smiled slightly. "Thanks Mabel."

She sighed. "I'm kind of bummed out that we didn't find anything that could lead us to the author."

Dipper wondered about his small vision for a second. "Mabel... When I was unconscious, I think I had another vision."

Her eyes widened. "What? Really? Please tell me this one involved future me!"

"No, it didn't... But I think I know who the author is now..."

"Really? Who?"

"I think the author is Old Man Mcgucket."

"Him, really? How do you know?"

"Well, the vision showed a younger version of him, so I think I might have been seeing the past instead of the future... And he was building the portal I saw in the last vision, and he had one of the journals!"

"It makes so much sense! Come on, we should get to it right now!"

"Maybe... We should wait till tomorrow."

Mabel frowned. "Wait, what? You're always up for things like this? Who are you and what have you done with Dipper?" She joked.

He sighed. "I... I need to talk to Bill tonight, try and get some answers from him, or at least try to. And I don't want to go on another adventure so soon after... what happened."

She bit her lip, but understood what he was getting at. "Fine... But come on, you must be starved! We should get home and actually get some midday cereal."

Dipper smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess..." But he paused, going pale. He didn't feel hungry anymore. His stomach wasn't growling for food, and he was starting to feel light again. "Oh no..." He murmured, just to get a cocked head from Mabel.

"Dipper? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, he didn't want to answer. But he had to make sure, so Dipper looked at the log he was sitting on and slowly reached his hand down, and watched in horror as his hand started to go through the wood. He wretched it back, the sudden feeling of dread causing him to start to float again. "Oh no... I'm not... physical anymore."

Mabel looked at him. "But... Okay.. Don't worry... Maybe you can only do it for a bit each day... Right? Maybe it's not a full time thing."

"Or what if it was a one time thing? What if that was my last shot at being physical... What if going into that state caused me to start to go back into the Mindscape? What if I'm stuck like this forever now!?"

"Calm down! You don't know that, so stop being so stupid! You don't know what's going on right now with you, so don't keep on jumping to conclusions, alright?"

"I'm.. sorry. It's just.. what if I'm right?"

"You won't be. Isn't it about time that I'm right for once?"

Dipper stared at her, floating slowly to the floor as Mabel got up from the log. "Okay... I'll stop thinking about it for now. Let's just... Get you something to eat." He said the last part with a sad tone to his voice.

Mabel caught at hugged him for a second, bringing him to the ground. "Chin up, Bro. We have a lead on the identity of the author, right? And we'll be able to follow that lead and uncover the mysteries of your journal!"

Dipper smiled slightly. "Okay, I guess I can cope with that. We're close to something big here, just think about what he could know!"

"There's the brother I know and love!" Mabel giggled as she untangled herself from him and began walking back to the the shack. A walk that soon turned into a race back to the shack, easily beaten by her floating brother.

* * *

Another chapter tonight, probably, hopefully. No guarantees! But I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will start with 'The Society of the Blind Eye' episode chapters ;) Let's see how much more we can discover in Gravity Falls. See you soon!


	14. Chapter 13 Deal Making

I have just edited chapter 8 as I've decided against doing chapters for the episode 'Northwest Manor Mystery', it honestly didn't seem relevant to the plot anymore, so I've decided to cut it out. Also, that mood I was in? It dropped quite quickly. Especially since my parents were making me do choirs the rest of the day. But I at least managed to start this chapter yesterday.

 **EDIT: Some of the dialogue in this chapter has been changed to fit my knew 'Nightmare Realm' plot line. So I suggest you read it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 _Deal Making_

* * *

"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Dipper voice echoed through the Nightmare Realm as he questioned the triangle that resided there, it almost got the attention of two demon's that Dipper hadn't noticed, seemingly trying to roast themselves on the surfaces fire.

"I mean, I don't know. Why do you seem to think I know every answer to every one of your problems?" Bill asked back in annoyance as he rolled his eye.

"Well... You're a stupid all seeing demon!"

"All seeing is stretching it a bit much." He sighed. "Honestly, your case is a strange one. I've never heard of dream demon ever becoming physical without the aid of a vessel to possess. But then again, I'd never heard of a human being turned into a dream demon before you, so this could just be because of that."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that this could just be because you used to be human." He walked/floated over to Dipper with the help of his cane. "And you said you went into that state again?"

"Yes..." Dipper looked at his hands. "It's like I don't have any control over myself... Like my own anger is controlling me like a puppet."

"I've heard of demon's having tantrums, but yours seems to be different... I'm guessing... That form is the whole of you, without any humanity lingering. You get it?"

"But if it's like that... Then why does it come out when I'm angry?"

"Hmmm... I'm stumped there." Bill gave a shrug. "You'll need to figure that out on your own." Then he thought for a second. "Say... Why are you even talking to me? You seemed quiet angry at me the last time I saw you, and you don't really seem that miffed about me today."

Dipper glared at him. "Don't think I hate you any less, Bill. I'm only mellowing myself so I can get some answers out of you. But really, aside from that form... Do you think I'll be able to turn physical again?"

Bill couldn't help but feel himself start to laugh on the inside. "You wouldn't just turn physical once and be done with it. Most likely it will be possible to become like that again. But I doubt it will be for a while. Stop trying to concentrate on stuff like that, and try and have fun like you are now! Found any upsides to this whole thing yet?"

He was starting to wonder why he had actually started to talk to Bill in the first place, apart from asking questions. He felt the really strong urge to actually talk to him, instead of threaten him or question him. Maybe because he was the only one to talk too in this expanse. Well, the only one worth talking to, anyway. So he answered him. "Well... I guess the no sleeping thing is good... I never really slept that much anyway, but at least I don't feel exhausted in the morning anymore, and I have more time to think about what to do next... I guess... But I don't even have my journal anymore... So I can't use this free time to study it."

"You don't you just make a copy?"

"I doubt it would be that simple, theres pages and pages of information, I wouldn't be able to recreate it all!"

"Sure you could, kid. After a bit of practice I'm sure you'd actually be able to do it."

Just then occurred to Dipper. "Why are you helping me?"

Bill looked surprised. "What?"

"Why are you helping me? You're giving me advice, tips, I thought you wanted to watch me suffer!"

"Well," The triangle crossed his arms, the cane going away in a quiet poof, just before he wobbled and it appeared again for him to lean on. "There's a difference between suffering and being so dumb it's not even funny."

"Wait... Are you calling me dumb!?"

"Yes, I don't think I want to deny it. You honestly need a lot of help with all this, and I'll be happy to oblige, as long as we make a deal."

Dipper couldn't help it, he started to chuckle. "A deal, really? You're trying to make a deal.. with another dream demon? And, after you made me this way because of a deal in the first place?"

"First off, I didn't do that to you, I keep telling you, it was you're own fault. True, you would have died if you hadn't become like that, but dying was part of the deal, you just need to remember to read the fine print." Bill glared at him for second, before his eye become cheerful again. "And second, this deal will benefit both of us."

Dipper looked at him, thinking. "Fine.. What type of deal do you have in mind?"

"Oh, nothing much. I'll train you to so you can control your powers, and in exchange, you need to take up my job as a demon."

"Wait... What the heck does that even mean?"

"It's quite fun actually, you get your own summoning circle, and title, titles are always good, they make you sound powerful! And a symbol is a must too! I bet you can't guess what mine is!"

Dipper stared at him like he was think. "Uh, I don't know, a triangle?"

Bill's voice pepped up. "Exactly! See, you're not as thick as I thought you were!"

He said, palming his face before he asked, "So what does this 'job' have to do with?"

"Well, you'll be responding to summoning's, making deals, the normal demon stuff."

"So... like you."

"Exactly. You're getting it, Pine Tree! And in exchange, I'll help you control that temper of yours, and get some of those powers in order, and with all my spare time here, I'm sure I'll be able to look into how your physical form works."

"How... How often would these summoning be?"

"Not often. Honestly, nobody would know about you so it should be a while before you get your first. But I'll be trying to get some of the other demons to atleast look at me for a second so I can convince them to get the word out about you. You know you've caused a bit of a commotion in the demon community? Eh, I'll tell you another time. But right now, you'll be fine doing your happy little fun and games with Shooting Star for now."

"But you better understand that I won't be like you, I won't be making horrible deals."

Bill chuckled. "We'll see, in time." He held out his hand. "So do we have a deal?"

Dipper bit his lip. _It wouldn't be that bad, right? The deal isn't including making tricky or horrible deals, right? And I might as well be getting into deal making anyway, I am a demon now right? Oh what the heck, here goes nothing..._

Instinctively, his hand began to burn with the blew flame as he reached out and shook Bill's hand, sealing the deal.

Dipper felt a bright feeling flow threw him, filling him with energy. _Was this what it felt like to make a deal? That was amazing! No wonder Bill is always making deals, this is the best feeling in the world!_

They broke their hands apart, causing the blue flame to disperse, but that amazing feeling stayed with Dipper for a few moments longer before dispersing.

Bill must have seen the look on his face because he was chuckling. "Feels good doesn't it?" He leant on his cane by his elbow, clapping his hands together. "Okay! Let's get too this then... Now, If you're going to be doing summoning's... You'll need a new name."

"Wait... What?"

"Relax, it won't be a permanent name, but it would be wise to take a new one for when you get summoned. If you should know anything, it's that names are powerful. If anyone knew you're real name when they summoned you, they'd have complete control over you. No deals, just doing whatever they said."

"Does... this mean that your real name isn't Bill Cipher?"

The triangle chuckled. "Nope, and don't think I'll be telling you my real one any time soon."

Dipper thought about that for a second. _No wonder his name sounds so strange, but I wouldn't be surprised if his real name was actually stranger._ Before he asked another question, he continued to think about this for a second, and then said something that he thought was blindly obvious. "But why can't I continue going by Dipper? You must know it's not my real name."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, Pine Tree! But that doesn't mean it isn't your _true name_. You've been going by Dipper for so long that it's overridden your real name! So your name right now is out of the options, and so is your birth name! It has to be totally new and fresh!."

He sagged slightly, how could he come up with a name. He was hopeless! "I don't know... I'm no good with names. What would you pick?"

"Don't ask me, it's your name!" He chuckled. "But I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a good one soon."

Dipper looked at the demon, for glaring at him slightly. "Why do I get the feeling that you already know my new name?"

"Simple, cause I do!" Bill started to laugh. "I already told you, I've seen the future, kid! Particularly, yours! Though I won't spill the details, you might not even like the name I tell you, and that could mess up the future!"

But Dipper was already thinking, mostly about the first vision he'd had. _That name that the teenager whispered to me... Maybe... Maybe that's my name... No, I'll need some time to think about this. Then I'll decide if it really is mine or not._

"Fine... I just need some time before I figure this out... You can't expect me to come up with a full blown name in a day!"

Bill smiled. "No, I don't. Do you can have some time to yourself before we get into all the summons start! We need to figure out your symbol as well, especially your summoning circle, you can't exactly be summoned without that. Oh... This is going to be so much fun!"

And then Dipper slowly started to regret taking that deal, as it had just even Bill a lot more topics to talk about and annoy him with.

After a long night of having to listen to Bill blabber on, mostly just listing off symbol ideas, some really strange titles and when he was done with that, started blabbering on about what Dipper decided was a list of all the deals he'd made in his lifetime. But some of them was so strange and absurd, he wasn't too sure if he was being serious or just listing the deals he wanted to make.

But he was just so thankful when he conjured a watch to see that in Gravity Falls, the sun was beginning to rise. He didn't even stop to say goodbye or anything, and just clicked his fingers, watching the scenery change to that of the Mystery Shack's attic, leaving Bill to continue to ramble on, just as he got to a few deals that involved llama racing and people melting into chocolate.

* * *

There's only going to be one chapter today, and sadly, my spree will have to end here. I'll continue to try and get chapters out as often as possible, but school is starting in a few days and I need to prepare for that. I hope you can understand that I need to focus on school rather than this now, and continue to enjoy this story even if the updates are scattered. ;) Hope to see you soon for a new chapter. :D


	15. Chapter 14 Something Blinding

That was an agonising week. Well, now on to the next chapter! I hope the wait was worth it :)

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 _Something Blinding_

* * *

The first thing Dipper decided as he waited for Mabel to wake up, was not to tell her about the deal. This was his problem, and she didn't need to get involved. He was floating above his bed, thinking about what they were going to do today.

They'd decided the night before to integrate McGucket about the journal, after all, he had to be connected somehow, right? Dipper was sure he had to be the author, from the vision he'd had, it seemed almost certain. _No wonder he always acts so crazy! He must be trying to cover up the fact that he wrote the journal, it's genius!_

While he waited, Dipper decided to try and create his own copy of the journal, he had nothing better to do. After all, he might as well try, right? So he tried to picture the journal in his mind, pictured himself flicking through the pages, but nothing happened.

He kept trying again and again, until he was about to give up, but then he found something in his hands. The journal. He excitedly turned it over and saw that it was the journal! Well, a copy at least. Dipper eagerly began to flick through... and found that all the pages were blank.

Dismay filled his mind as he looked at the blank pages, not one word was written on it, but he used this moment to try and take his sister's advice, to look on the bright side. _I... I might not have the journal... But I have a pretty good copy, on the outside at least... Maybe I could use it to write a journal of my own? Maybe a journal about my powers and how it's like being me right now?_

He liked that idea, writing his own journal documenting what he was going through. Dipper frowned, he obviously couldn't have a book that looked like this, it wouldn't make much sense, it's not like he was writing three journals about this. _Na, at the rate my powers are growing, I'd probably have to fill ten journals! But I can at least start with one..._ He thought for a second, trying to think of how his own journal would look, and once he had a clear decision, he made his fake journal 3 poof into thin air before clicking his fingers and making his own journal appear.

Dipper looked it over, smiling at his handy work, wondering why it was so much easier to make something entirely new instead of a copy of something. He looked at the book, it looked almost the same as journal 3, but instead of the hand in its centre, there was a golden pine tree and the cover was a deep navy blue instead of red. He'd decided not to write the number '1' inside the pine tree yet, not until he finished writing it and knew if he was going to be making a second.

He flicked through it, blank, fresh pages that were ready to be written on, it looked brand knew and shiny, he wondering if this was what the journals looked like when the author had first started writing them. Deciding to save it for later, Dipper slipped his new journal into his vest's inside pocket for later, just as he noticed Mabel waking up.

Dipper floated over to her, grinning slightly as he floated in the air over her bed so it was like he was lying in the air, looking down at her with a smug grin. "Time to get up, sleepy head."

Mabel groaned for a second, her eyes fluttering open and when she saw him, she started to giggle slightly, even through her grogginess. "I hope you haven't been like that all night..."

He smiled, floating over to the floor where he sat cross-legged, waiting for her to get up. "Na, I only got here a few hours ago, and for most of that I was just thinking."

Mabel was sitting up in bed now, yawning herself awake as she rubbed her eyes. "Thinking about yesterday?"

Dipper hesitated, he couldn't tell her he'd been thinking about the deal so he just went with it. "Yes, sure... But mostly about today, I'm kind of nervous. What if this lead just goes flat?"

"You told me about it didn't you? That thingy thing with McGucket in it sounded pretty clear, you said he was holding a journal?"

He nodded. "One of them, at least. It definitely looked like one of the journals."

"Then it has to mean he knows something! Come on, we should hurry and get going!" She jumped out of bend, shaking the rest of sleep away, before running out of the room.

Dipper just sighed as he stood up. "Mabel, aren't you forgetting something?"

He heard Mabel murmur from outside the door, before running back in. "But first, I need to get dressed!"

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Mabel had brought along the journal with her, just in case they needed it for when they talked to the old man. They were on their own, having decided to leave Soos and Wendy out of this one, as they'd probably be adventured out from yesterday. But for the most part, Dipper just didn't want them involved in anything they did anymore, he'd thought about it a lot in the Nightmare Realm and on that morning.

He could have killed Wendy. Pure and simple. The only reason he hadn't was because he'd gotten angry because of something trying to attack her. But even then, he'd thrown her into the wall. What if he'd thrown her harder? What if it had given her a broken leg or worse... So he'd decided it was best for them not to get involved in any of this again, at least not until they had this all figured out.

They were almost at the junk yard now, and Dipper could feel the excitement inside of himself growing as they walked in, well, Dipper was floating, only Mabel was using her feet. They walked into the dump to find Old Man McGucket chasing a raccoon around his metal shack of a house.

He had grabbed hold of it's tail by the time they'd stopped outside his house watching him with strange curiosity. But then he noticed Mabel standing there and chucked the raccoon to the side where it quickly scampered away. "Visitor! Come come, pull up some rusty metal!" He said as he walked into his house, Mabel following behind as Dipper started to question if it had actually been a good idea to come to the house of a man who had questionable sanity.

"You're just in time for the hourly turf war with the hillbilly that lives in my mirror." McGucket looked over at a reflective tin and started shouting at his reflection.

But Mabel was soon urged forward by Dipper. "Um... We know you're the author, McGucket."

He looked round at her, frowning as she continued. "You studied the mysteries of this town and wrote this book." She held it out to him. "You're the genius that me and Dipper have been searching for all summer."

That caused the old man to give her a confused look as he looked at the journal in her hands. "Err.. Genius?" He shook his head sadly. "I'm no genius, I never done nothing worthwhile in my life. Everyone knows I'm no good to nobody. I can't remember who I used to be, but I must have been a big failure to end up like this."

Dipper looked at him, feeling annoyed and sad that his lead was drying up like he thought it might. "What about the journal, you have to have wrote it!" He said, before remembering the only one able to see him would be Mabel, so she decided to do it for him.

"Are you sure you didn't write this book? Here, have another look." Mabel said to comfort him as she flicked through the pages, similar to what she had done for Dipper, but slower so the coot could see if he recognised them.

McGucket sighed. "I told you, everything before 1982 is just a blur, just a hazy..." As the pages flicked to one with an eye that was crossed out in red, the old man panicked, scrambling backwards. "Ahh, ahh! The Blind Eye! The robes, the men, my mind, they did something!"  
Mabel walked over to him. "Who did?"

Dipper looked at him, his hopes rocketing again, did this mean that there was something to this?

The coot started to relax again, rubbing his head. "Oh... I don't recall..."

She closed the book and looked at him sadly. "Oh, you poor old man, no wonder your minds all.." She blew a raspberry while putting a thumbs down. "You've been through something intense."

Dipper thought for a second, before looking at Mabel. "Maybe McGucket learned something he wasn't supposed to know and someone, or something, messed with his mind. We've got to get to the bottom of this! Ask him what the earliest thing he remembers is." He asked her.

She nodded, excited that this could have been something big. "Think, what's the earliest thing you can remember?"

McGucket thought for a second, before grabbing a newspaper clipping showing the old man outside the history museum. "This is, I think."

Dipper looked at it. "The history museum, of course! We need to go there, maybe that's where McGucket's mind was messed with."

Mabel grinned. "Then that's where we're headed next! This is so awesome, this could be another big conspiracy!"

* * *

Mabel and Old Man McGucket had taken the bus to the museum, which wasn't a pleasant experience at all, McGucket reused to sit still and not everyone on the bus seemed okay with the towns crazy sitting or rather, climbing near them. Dipper had decided after a minute or so that he'd meet them there by floating above the town instead, and he didn't regret that choice.

The view was amazing up in the sky, he could see practically half the town from how high he was up, and he'd probably be able to go up high enough to see the whole town. He was floating reactively fast, but he was still lagging behind the bus. But then again, he wasn't used to floating that much yet, if he found away to speed up his floating, he'd probably loose balance anyway and start rolling around in the air.. Thinking about it actually made him wonder if it would be like the time they fell into the bottomless pit and Mabel started to spin him, it would probably be worse than that, but could dream demon's even get motion sickness?

As he floated he had a lot of time to think to himself about what lied ahead. Would he finally get the answers he was searching for. Maybe McGucket really was the author, but he had just lost his memory, it definitely looked that way anyway. But then if that was the case, what would he do after that? The one big mystery solved, would he try and find the other two journals after that? Maybe, they'd bound to have more information and secrets to discover about the time, and if they could get McGucket's memory back, then he'd be able to tell them where he'd hidden them.

A smile sprang to his face as he floated closer to the ground when he saw the the history museum with Mabel staring up at him like he was a balloon she'd let go of. He laughed, giving her a wave, and he was sure she must have laughed back and returned her own wave. He was closer to the ground now, closer and closer till he was only about 30 centimetres of the ground.

 _Now let's crack this mystery right open._

* * *

And that was the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed it ;) Now, funnily enough, I spent most of my breaks at school thinking up what to write tonight, and I was actually thinking about what came _after_ this. So I was completely blank when it came to this chapter, my mind is weird sometimes. Haha, so I'll probably be writing the next chapter and having that out by tomorrow or Sunday, but I can't really make much promises these days with school. Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you thought of the chapter, maybe about what you think will happen in the future. ;)


	16. Chapter 15 Don't Anger A Demon

Time for the next chapter, I've started writing this on Saturday, so I hope I can get this out on the same day ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 _Don't Anger A Demon_

* * *

They were going past the model buffalo as they searched around the museum, Dipper and Mabel wondering if there actually would be something there. They had a lead, they just had to hope that it would hold up.

The three of them passed many of the halls before they started to wonder if there was anything to find, but just then Dipper spotted someone down the hall who was running in a cloak, so he couldn't make out who they were. "Over there!" He told Mabel, who gasped as they began running after them.

"Hey, stop!" She called to the cloaked figure, but he had already turned a corner and when they turned that same corner, he was gone. But it was strange, he'd led them into a room full of eyes. There didn't even seem to be a place for him to go, it just ended there.

McGucket looked around. "Well kettle my corn, he vanishified!" Dipper couldn't have said it better himself.

He looked around at all the eyeballs. "This doesn't make any sense... Where did he go?"

The old man had started to become nervous as he watched all the eyes in the room, stepping back onto to one of the walls. "Err... I feel like all these eyeballs are a watchin' me."

Dipper and Mabel looked around at the room because of what he said, and they soon both realized something about the room. All the eyeballs were looking in the same direction, towards where McGucket was standing. "Wait... They are!" Mabel and Dipper said at the same realization.

"Move aside." Mabel asked him, and the old man stepped aside, to reveal an eye that was looking straight ahead, it actually looked like a button.

"Mabel, I think it's a pressure plate of some kind." Dipper told her as he watched it, giving her the idea to actually push it.

And she did, causing a fireplace at one of the walls to open up to reveal a secret passageway, with a staircase leading down to an unknown place.

"A secret passageway!" Mabel said excitedly, with Dipper becoming eager to see what was down there.

McGucket thought for a second. "We'll need to be stealthy, I'll ham bone a message if there's trouble." And then he started to slap his arms and legs in his own sort of language, causing Dipper and Mabel to look at him a bit strangely.

"I have no idea what you're saying." Mabel said with a slightly smile because of the old man's craziness.

Soon they started to descend down the staircase, where there was a closed curtains leading to a room. But as they went down the stairs, Dipper noticed sigils that were caved into the very stone of the walls, and it made him feel unnerved, like his demon nature was aware of what the sigils did, though he just ignored it. _They couldn't be for anything bad, right? What harm could a few symbols do anyway?_

They walked to the curtains where they started to hear lots of people chanting on the other side.

Mabel carefully opened the curtains to a slight degree so they could all see what was going on without alerting the people on the other side.

They saw six people in red cloaks chanting in Latin as they surrounded a chest. Behind them was a single chair that was currently unoccupied. It made Dipper frown. _What are they up to?_

A new cloaked figure stepped forward from the darkness, and asked a simple question. "Who is the subject of our meeting?"

Two more members of the group stepped forward with hold of a women with a bag over her head. "This women." They both said.

They pulled the bag off the women's head to reveal that it was Lazy Susan.

Mabel squinted at her. "Lazy Susan?"

They scrapped Lazy Susan to the chair, before the guy who looked like the leader of them all asked her, "What is it that you have seen?"

The waitress looked a bit nervous, but then, why wouldn't see be? But she answered anyway. "Uh, well, uh, I was leaving the diner, and I saw these little bearded doodads, and I was, like, Bwaaa?"

The leader opened up the chest and pulled out a sort of ray gun that made Dipper curious to what it did, but he had a feeling that he was about to find out.

Lazy Susan frowned at the strange gun. "What is that gizmo? It looks like a hair dryer. Are you guys barbers?"

Mabel noticed the leader was entering some words into a screen on the gun by using a dial. But from this distance, she couldn't really tell what it was. However, Dipper could see it very clearly, with his perfect vision he could see that the word's read 'Little Men'. _That's what Lazy Susan said, right? I think she was talking about the gnomes._

But before they could think about it any more, the leader pointed the gun at the women, and zapped her with it, causing her to scream.

Dipper, Mabel and McGucket almost jumped back in shock, but managed to stop themselves.

She looked dazed for a minute, before relaxing. "Lazy Susan, what do you know of little bearded men?" The leader asked her, only to get a monotone reply back from her, "My mind is clear, thanks to the Society of the Blind Eye."

"It is unseen." The society chanted before they all started to disband, pulling off there hoods to reveal that they were none other than some of the inhabitants of the town, including Toby Determined and Bud Gleeful, along with the leader being a guy that none of them recognised.

"They.. erased her memory!" Dipper gasped.

"And it's actually people we know?" Mabel gasped as well, with McGucket ham-boning his own secret swear words.

Mabel was going to carefully step forward to look closer, but she tripped on a loose tile, falling all the way through the curtains and catching the full attention of the whole society.

Dipper gasped, trying to quickly float through and follow her so he could try and protect her, but as soon as he touched the space that connected the passageway to the room, he felt a painful pulse of energy shoot through him, throwing him backwards in the air in alarm. "Owch! That... really hurt!" He looked at the space, finally realizing that the sigils carved into the brick of the passageway weren't just for show, it was to ward off demons. No... That wasn't right...

He could almost feel the energy that had zapped through him, repelling him and keeping him out of the room. It didn't seem like just a demon repellent. "Maybe... Maybe it's a supernatural repellent! Those people don't seem to like people seeing supernatural creatures, so it would make sense if they had a way to keep them out of their lair." He murmured to himself, started to panic as he flew over to the curtains again, just now noticing that McGucket was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, noticing not one trace of the old man. "He must have fled..." He decided, before looking through the opening in the curtains to see what had happened in such a sort amount of time.

It made him pale. Mabel was tied to a pole, with the leader readying the memory eraser again.

"I am Blind Ivan, and we are the Society of the Blind Eye." The leader was declaring as he raised the ray to her. "As you have no doubt discovered, Gravity Falls is a town plagued with supernatural strangeness. No one knew how to stop the things that went bump in the night, so our founder invented the next best thing: a way for us to forget. We took it upon ourselves to help the troubled townsfolk by erasing the memories of the strange things they've seen. Now the people of Gravity Falls go about their lives ignorant and happy, thanks to us."

"But that's horrible!" Mabel was saying. "You shouldn't take people's memories, it could make them go crazy! Old Man McGucket lives in a hut and talks to animals because of what you did to him, don't you feel bad about that?"

Blind Ivan frowned. "Hmm.. Maybe a little..." But then he shot himself with the gun. "But not anymore..." He smiled, pointing the gun back at her. "You've learned too much, little girl. And we can't have you going and telling anyone about what you've learned here, so say goodbye to you're summer."

Mabel looked petrified, glancing around, obviously wondering where Dipper was, and all he could do was watch.

"No no no! I have to help her, but I can't get past those curtains or I'll get shocked again, I can't get in!" He sighed. "But what would I do anyway? I wouldn't be able to do anything in the physical world, even if I was with her. I can't help her at all." His eyes fell to the floor, before hardening. "No, I can try. I won't let them take away your memory, Mabel. I won't!" He gritted his teeth as his anger flared, and he tried to concentrate, his fists becoming aglow with flame.

He tried to do something, anything to help her, he had to! Dipper felt his anger boiling inside of himself. Anger that he was helpless to do anything, helpless to protect her from the people who wished to harm her, even if it was just mentally. He didn't want to be helpless. "I... won't... be.. HELPLESS!" He screamed, just as the sigils on the walls became alight with bright blue flames. The curtains became alight as well, burning away to dust as Dipper stepped through them, the sigils effects no existence, and all the members of the society froze, looking at the demon that had just broke through their defence.

Dipper noticed something as he strode into the room, he was walking. He wasn't floating anymore, but he didn't feel that much waited down, like he was just choosing to walk. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed, as he quickly realised that black was covering his body, yellow brick patterns covering him. His mind started to rush. _I'm.. in this form again..._ He felt angry, more than ever, but it wasn't too much for him, it wasn't making him go insane like he had done the last few times. He felt... in control.

He also remembered that the people in the society knew him, so if he dropped his form, now that he had control over it, they'd instantly recognise him, even with the pointed teeth and yellow eyes. They'd know his real name, and that would be a danger, as Bill had told him. Right now, he was unrecognisable as his old self, and he had to stay that way. _Great, the one time I'm in control of this whole thing, I need to keep like this._ He felt the anger that was keeping this form up, and knew that if he let that anger drain away, he'd return to normal, so for once, he forced himself to keep angry, filling his head with the angriest thoughts he could, keeping that anger boiling.

Dipper could see the fear that had spread across there faces as they all realised they were in the presence of a real demon. And not any demon, one that was one of a kind, a physical one. And he had to admit, the terror that threatened to dissolve them all the cowards was amazing, and Dipper couldn't help but love making people feel that way.

The leader was trying to keep hold of the gun, but his hand was trembling. And Mabel was just looking at him, too shocked to speak.

Blind Ivan took a shaky breath, any confidence he had was being used to speak. "Who... are you?"

The anger was flowing like crazy, making Dipper feel amazing. This power was... incredible! It made him feel invigorated and full of energy, but it didn't top the feeling he'd had when he'd made that deal with Bill. He looked at the man that had asked him a question and narrowed his eyes. _This man doesn't know anything._

He began to float off the ground, burning blue flames enveloping both his hands. Dipper knew his name now, he'd denied it so many times, but he knew it was his, and he didn't care about it any more, because he knew it was his.

"W̷̪̭͈͙͓̣̝̭͗̂̈́͐̌́̓͛H͈̣͕̜̽́̿̌̀͢͡O̶̟ͨ̀̈́̾̒ͪ̽ͣ͘ ̸̙͖̮̬͖̦̊͢A̧̠̬̩͕̪̼͎̹͓̽̓̎ͮ̄̽M̶̧̡̪̗̥̩͎̫͍͂̂̽̈̾ͬ͗ ͙̯́̔̈́ͣ͐ͣ͌́I͉͈ͫ̈́͗̍ͣ?̷͙̫̲͉̒̄̎͂̇̎ͪͫ̏ͅ" He said loudly to himself, making everyone in the room shake with fear at the sound of his demonic voice. Dipper glared at them all before his gaze rested on the leader, Ivan. "I̔ͣ̚͢҉͎͚̻̝̻͇͈ ͌͋̆̎͐̏̈́̈́͏̗̣̖̘̟̙̺̕͞A̧̪̪̭͋͗̃͑̀̋͡M̫̰͚̯ͥͦͮ͐ͥͩ ̧͎̜̣̰̯̮̳ͧͭ͊ͫ̇ͨ͆͡Y̘̩̯̱̞̔̓̍̆̎ͪ̓ͧ̐͠ͅǪ̣͙̣̣̙͕̠̆̽̄̀̍ͬ͘͟U̵̞̱̬̲̇̑̑ͪͣͤRͪͯͣ̾͌ͮ͛͏̸̬̗͇̯͎̦̤ͅ ̰͙̯̠͓̐ͥ̑̿̌W̦̳̞̝̽̍ͧͤ̂͡Ö̺̩͎ͥ̿̈̈̒ͮ̏͟R̲̗̋ͤ̄͑̔ͤ̀S͓͍͍ͨͩ̈́̉ͭ͋̀̚͜T ̸̵̠̗͎̥͚͖̈̆͊͟Ṉ̵̒͗ͥͪͦ̕͡I̪̙͚̪̓̈́͗̔̏̌̂͟G̵͆͆̿̇҉͙H͚͙͕͕͐ͪͤͩͩ̊͛̾́T̜͚̯̹͕̯͕ͣ͘͝M̞̰͙͋ͬ͢͢͞A̫͙̦̥͍̟ͤRͯ̅͒͏̷̳͈͇̦̼͞ͅE̟̬̩̪͕̰̓͂ͫ͒ͭ͛͑͠.̴̵͉̼͇̹̺̜̤͛͑ͮͩͣ̂͊"

He floated over to Blind Ivan, the glow of his eyes almost blinding as he said the name that came so naturally to him. "Ǐ̱͉̝̪̫̍̄ͬ͆̉͡͠ͅ ̴̜̖͍͛̽̆ͪͤͅA͖̥̱̰͇̰ͭ̓́̚M̶̪̯̝͙̜̼̺̣͓ͦ̍̉̉ ̸̯̣̝̞̏̀ͬ͗ͩͯ͑ͅÄ̺̮̪͔͎́̍̃̀ͨͩͬͯͣ̀L͆͊̉͛̓҉҉̥̜͖C̫̠̈́̕͞ͅO̓̂̑̓̃ͥͯ͏̭̬̞̠̞R̪̹̬̯͗̏̋ͭ̀͜ ̜̥̟͎̪̞̺͙̤̌̚T̸̗̮̭̖͚ͪ̏̈́̽͐̔̅́̈͢H̴̬̲͎͈͎͎̖̭́ͣ̀̓̔͂̀ͯE̎̌̂͏̶͔͎͔̠̗̬͓̮ ̛͚̔D͕̙̯̑̋̃͟R̡̭̟̫̤̖̞̪͇ͧͫ͢E̡͓̤͙͎͔̖̖ͫ͐ͬͪ́ͪ̒͘͠A̧͇͕͇̦̻̻̪͊̏̎M̵͍̱ͤ͊̂͊́ͅB͉͑̍ͥͥͤ͛ͫ̊E̫͔̭̤ͩ̿̀͠N̴͎͚̳ͦ͑̅ͤ̉͠D̵̛̗̼̜̤̦̅ͧ͆̌ͥ͆͆̚̕E̝͉͖̒ͮͨͩ́Ṟ̫ͦͦ͌ͮ͑͌ͬ́,̶̪̭̦̳̯͖̤̄̈́ͪ̐̃́ ̳̪̦̅̐ͮ͌͗͛̃͡A̖̻̠̳̯͓ͮ́͛ͪ̚N̂̾ͦ҉̶͖̤̹̟̜̙͈͞D̢̨̘ͤ̅͊͡ͅ ̢͇̀ͪ̈́̑Y̧͇̼̗̳͌͑͗̈́ͯ̐ͨ̾̚͞O̵̸̙̯͛̓ͮ͐͗͌̊ͤU͚͙ͥ̎̒ͤͪ̃͟ ͪ͒ͤ͏̩̲̕H̹̠̙̞̖̗̮̪̔͑ͣ͑̂̒̐ͮ̇͢A̓̈́ͣ͋ͭ͆͂̚҉͖͙͍V̫͔̏ͦ͆̄ͮ͞E͔̳̰͕̝͎̜̅͑̾̓ͪͬͬ̚ ̨̝̺̦̑̑͒̓̌̌͌̚T̫̺͖͚͉ͨͥ̾̂͂̒̐A͔͍̳̱̳̹̼͇̳̾K̴̨͉̞̬̪̗̎̇̈̏ͤ̏̚E̪̺̰͕͓͙̳͈̦ͬ̽͋͞N̨̮̳̭̩̗̜̮͚ͦ̍̀ͤͭ̾̔̐ͭ ̹͈̫̪̟̘̦̦̑ͭͦͅŠ̴̸̻̝͇̩͈̙ͬ̐̅ͦͭ̐Ō͋͗ͧ͒͟͏̢̼͔̰̻̟M͉̖̘̙̗̰̙̞̍ͦ͌̾͊͆͂ͯ͂̀͠E̴̫͈̹ͧT̶͙̖̉͋̂͌ͬͭͤH̥̹̹͓͙̩͎͙̻̐ͯI̶͛̓̔҉̖̦N̦̳̱͙̭ͥ̈ͤ̃͋́ͅͅG̛̫͙̳͋̎̿ ̵̵͇̹͍̱̫͑ͮ̚͡T̷̹̜̪͈̤͉͉̿̽͋͑͆̃̔Ĥ̡̗͖̯͌̈͟A͛͆͏̸̡͕͉̤̣̻T̵̘̯͎̙ͯ̒̽̉̌ͬ͐̋͟ ̧̩͉̝͚̦͔ͫB̝̟̺̑͗̃̀͘E̢̡̢̪̹̞̹̿̽͐̅L̤̱ͭ̌ͦ̄ͯ̄ͯ͢͢O̙̘̟̭͔̭ͧ̉̂͒̃͘N̅̍҉̤̙G͎͓͚͉̩̅̌ͬ͌̊̇ͤ̒̀́S̶̮͉̥̼͌ͅ ̫̲̒̊͞T̻̩̣͍͇̣̟̭͑ͦ̀̌ͨ̂̒ͯ͛͟͢Ǫ̲̥͉͖̈ ̓ͧͨͦ̄̎ͧ̑͂͏̱̣̙̘͉͔M̡̜̲͕͙̹̭̹̺̻̓ͯ̾͑̀ͯ͞͡E̛̬̞̙͒̈̈́͌͜.̯̗̠͇͙̉̃ͥ͑̾̆͘"

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Who am I?

I am your worst nightmare.

I am Alcor the Dreambender, and you have taken something that belongs to me.

* * *

Some more demon form Dipper awesome, but the next chapter will be a lot more awesome. ;) ;) ;)

I'm so glad I have a burst of energy late at night, because I'm actually finishing this today! I hope you enjoy and be ready for the next chapter soon. And I'd like to thank the guest who asked about school. It went really great actually! :) I got a new science teacher who's Scottish and a RE teacher that's Irish. Diversity for the win! I love them both already and the years going to be very fun with them helping me.

 **EDIT: As one of my favourite reviewers pointed out, I have used quite an uncommon word to discribe the patterns on the wall of the passageway. 'Sigils'. This word mostly just means a seal or sign that is believed to have magical power, which obviously, in this case is true. I hope this helped you if you were a bit confused by the word ;)**


	17. Chapter 16 The Pleasure Of A Deal

Now THAT is a lot of reviews. I love you guys, truly. Also, I can't remember if this happened before the last chapter, or after it, but we hit 50 followers! I'm so happy and can't really believe that this is happening. Next thing I'll be celebrating hitting 100 followers! And my views are sky rocketing. I seriously nearly got 1,000 just from one chapter. That is a seriously big accomplishment for me :) My top story used to be my Frozen on, but we've smashed that! Thank you again for being such wonderful support on this story, it means a lot to me. So now we continue with the story! And as many of you are already thinking, 'something' is about to hit the fan.

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 _The Pleasure Of A Deal_

* * *

They were trembling, all of them, it was almost laughable how easy they'd crumbled after that. The only one that even dared to speak after that was Ivan, silly little Ivan. He didn't know who he was dealing with.

"W-e don'-t no-no what you-re tal-king about. We wou-ldn't take anything from you!" He was stuttering as he spoke, his words cracking when uttered from his terrified voice. Dipper had to give him his dew for actually speaking at all while the others just backed away like the cowards they were.

The dream demon stared at him with narrowed eyes, floating down to the ground to meet him. "Ỵ͔͇̩̰̄͆ͮ̒̑O͉̙͋́̀̚U̶̙̰͚̝͍̅ͫ͗̀͐̂̚ ̖̘̣̯̺̃̀̾ͩ̆ͪ̂͒S̸͕̖̟̩ͬͫͨ̐̌ͬ̚E̟̪̾̇͂͛ͦ͟Ë̺͓͎M͖̜̩͍͚̬̖͋͋̓͆͢ ̱̠͓͕̼̙̹ͦ̐͊̅̚̕͢Ṭ͓̪̪̫͎͆͐͑ͧ͡O̲̚͘ ̀̈́̔̈́̀̎͟͠ͅB͎̞͙͔͔͍̩͒̄͗͆ͬͬ̅E͉͈̝̤̝̘̹̗͍͐̋͆͘ ̷̡̰̩̻͖̫̺̼ͯ̆͑͊͂ͅQ̵̶̠͎̣̩̼̥̺̗͈̌̇͛̿̂ͪ̋Ǔ̸̥̝̱̲̱͍ͨ͑I̡̥̰̥̗̰̠͓̍͂ͦ͌̚͞͡T̶̹͓̻̠̓̋̇ͅE̶̪̝͕̥̥̻̻̯̬ͥ̇͋̊͢͝ ̙̳̖̫ͤ̎̈́̍ͭ͜C̷̢ͮ͑҉̰̪̼͇̠L̴ͧͫ͆̓̆̌͏̶̘͙Ų͒͗ͣͬ̀҉͕É̩̗̫̲̻͕̞̙͜L̶̆̀͊̄͟҉͓̙̝͎̙̭̬̞E̛͚̘͖͇̪͒̏͑͠S͙̣̠̦͓̲̻͑Sͫ̍̈́̾̅̿͏͎͓̘͕̜̹͉̯ͅ.ͫ͌͏̻̙̪̫̬́͡ͅ ̩̼͉̺̩̟͚́̓͋͗Y͕̥̬̳ͧ̓̋̇̾̑͘O̺̬̪̎͒̋̒̓̓ͭ̿͞͠Uͮͫ̓̐̎͒̽ͨ͋͏̨͚͎ ͙̜̟̥̥̔̿̏ͩ͊͋P̭̫͑ͫ͌̀͘L̠̬̹̰̪̹̬̊̈ͣ̉̇ͣͤẢ̸̸͚̠ͥ͞N̳̖͕ͫ̍̅ͭͬͮ̀ͮͦ͢͟ ͓͕̤͙̾̓̀̾ͤͥ̅T͙̪̼̭̜̼͓̳̈́̓͠O̻͇ͮ̂͌ͤ̓̔ͣ̈ ̩̠̟̖̩̝͓̙͕͒͒U͗̈҉̩͈̪S̴̜̯̝͇͎̭̮ͯ͗̑͊̕E̶̩̰͎̤̭̼̝̻͍ͤͭ̿ ̜̥̯͎̳͓͓̩͍͒ͫ̀̍ͫͫ̾ͫ͠Y̝̹̞̲̦̫̮͈͆̅̍͑̀ͤȌ̬͉͘͝Ų̶̮̮̰̟̥̙͛͐͞R̶̶̠̱ͯͭ͂̿̚ ̤͕͌ͥW̴̪͓͍̭̪͓̙͇̻̌ͬ̓̏̈́̽͞Ë͙̟̈ͮ͆̇͡A̴̎҉̫̹̣̳̤͈P̷̝ͥ̓ͩͮ̾͐̎̑̀͢O̝̘̰͛̎̓̓͛͋ͮ͌̏͠N̨͓̘̮̈͑ ̵̸̤͎̤̙̜̪͇̼͇ͬ̑̽ͯͤ̾̑͘O̪̠̾̽̔͑͡F̢̢̛͔̘̝̻͍͋̍͑ͧ̽ͩ̽̇ ̡̺̪͔͔̅ͯ͌̏͟M̄̅̔̚҉͉͎͇͓̤͉͝͞Ẹ̰͚ͬ̅͑̾̔̂ͪ̂́͠Mͣ̒͏̟̺̮O̥̱ͬͩ̆̈Ŗ̟̲̘̞̩̱̯̔ͤͤ͆̇̀ͅY̷̢̬̹ͪ͛ ̴̠̙̍ͤ͘Ď̰̟̩͈͙͆̾͑́͘E̩̭̘̮̖̺̻̅̑̀S̨̜̪̬̦͔͖̲ͬ͆̀͞Tͤ̇ͬ͊̚҉̵͈͍̥̭̳R̷͑ͩ̅͏̤͓̱͕̼Ů͚͍̳̣̩͇̟̰͙̓̊ͩ̕C̨̳̥̤̱ͣ̒̆̃ͣ̌ͮT̸̸̳̖̗̥̮̂͡I̤͙͓̓̈͊ͧ̒͊ͭO̙̮̰͋̒ͬǸ͈͍͉̟̎̌͐̇̎̕ ͚̬̪͌̈͆͘ͅO͉̺̣͈̣̖̙ͭ͛̓ͨ̎̎͘ͅN̨̪̻̏ͨͤ͐̄̐́̇̀ ̛̰̟̦͍̗͇̹̺͌̚A̶̫̘͚͚͊ͮ̈͢ ͚̺̰̲̣̥͉̪͒̄̅̀̊̍ͥ͊̚C̘͓̭̈́̐͝H̷͔͔͋̿ͫ͋̇͘͜ͅI̧̍̔̍̆ͮ̃͏̣̦̝̗͙̲͘L̦͊͋ͦ͗̓̒̂̇͆D̡̤͙̙̼͎͖̬͇ͨ͆ͧ͌̊̽͑ͅ,̨̡̭̺̗͙̦̗̜͈ͦ͆̔͂̅̾͠ ̦̱͈̲̬̬͑̽W̷̝̙͔̻̓̊̃H̅̅̑̿͊̂͂͏̶̶̮̲I̴̠͍̜̪͓͇̯̤͈͆ͯ́͝C̮͓͉̳͎̅̋̂ͣ̍͝H̓̎̃͑̇̓͏̸͈̤̹̠̠̺͕ ̫̤̭̣̿ͅḢͧ͏̯̯̭̩̣̬̝A̠̗̤̯͉̤ͣ̍ͬ͘P̱̬̫̗͔̥͑̔ͧ͑̏͜P̨̗̳̭̖̺ͣͣͅÉ̸̹̱̗̹̔̅N͚͉͈̥̞̭̅̽͗ͩ̃ͬͥͮS̺̞̖̬ͭ̋̕͡ ̗̣͋̄̽̀Tͫ̔ͮ̉̓̒͆̅҉͖͎͝Ơ̙ͮ̐̍͟͞ ̮̼̞͉͇͖̒ͫͯ̎̉͂͋͋͠B̯̠͎̉ͯ͞ͅEͩ̇͏̻L̸̨͖͖̪̖͔͚̞̏͗ͩ͘Ỏ̞͓̯̩̲̏̀͡ͅN̵̫͙̞͛ͨ͛ͨ́̋G̸̯̤̖̗͙͌͐̅͠ ͤ̽͑͆̿̚͏̮͙̘̼͜ͅŢ͓̬̒͒͡O̢̢̝͉͋̆ͧ͌ͦ̄ͯ͆̕ ̷̢̰̩̥̹͎̄̓̿̅͑̄̊M̡̙͈̥͋̅ͤ̀͠E͕̖̺̳͆͑̍̕.̴̟̘̰̗̦̘̘ͥͤͭ͆ͤ͋"

Blind Ivan's eyes widened as he glanced over at Mabel before looking at the ray gun in his hand, which was already threatening to drop from his shaking hand. "N-o! I.. We..." He dropped the ray gun instantly, backing away from the demon. "We didn't n-n-o she belong to you, I sw-ear! She sneaked into our lair and she saw too much. W-e were just trying to wipe her memory of what she saw here, nothing more!"

Dipper didn't falter as he stepped forward, the anger that he'd allowed to stay with him slowly starting to overwhelm him. "Y̵͖̪͈̯͍͍̱ͬ̒̀Ǫ̞̦̟͍͖͎̆͘͠Û͙̠̪̻̔͑̏̾͢ ̶̛̝̣̻̲̱͆̅͐͗ͪ͛̏͜Ş̤̮̮̯ͪͯ̿̾̃ͭ̃ͬĄ̥̟͍̼͚̒͗̇̒ͥY̶̢̰̠͖̼̙̬͉̥̌̆ͦ̈̿͒̍ ̧͉̠̥͚̼̃̊̕I̝̲ͮ̃̽T̷̺̻͙̰̺͐͒ͪ̀ ̢̩̳͖͗ͮͦͤ̀̀W̢͇͇͓̞̮̥̱̜͑ͮ͊A͓͍͈͎̞̱͋̽̎̔̏̔͝S̵̛̭̳̦̮̱ͧͬͮ͢ ̵͚̘͙͋̏͛̌̌ͨ͘J̺̤͌̄͊͌̄̇ͤ̚͟U̴̲̗̯ͬ̊ͬͯͩ͆ͨ̕͝Sͤͩ̾̏̅ͤ͛҉̶̖̬̼̙̠̤Ţ̤̻͎̞̻̯̜̄̒̾ ̛̰̟̟̳̥̔̑̀H̫̞͙̗̝̘̪̰ͪ́ͦ͘E̷ͩͩ҉̻̹̳͓̘͍͓̦R̡̬̲̺̱̘̤͐̎̑̍͡ ̵̪̮̹̱̰̫͕̲̚͡M̴̡̡̯͍͕̩͑ͬ̉̊Ȅ̸̎͏̱̘͉̝M̭̬̘̹̠̜̪͚̈́̑̈ͯͅO̥̬͓̤͎̙͖͌ͮ͛́R̷̩̼͕̀͋ͣͮ̀͜I̗̘̗͖̅̍̇͒̒̍͡E̴͙ͭͨͯ̍͒͝S̶̡̳̫̮̫̪͙̠͖̅̔̉ͩͤͫ͜ͅ ̌́̉̆ͩ̑̈́̐ͦ͞҉̣̲̻͔Ǒ͉̪̤͖͔̙͕ͩ̇̾ͯ͒͌͞ͅF̺̣̺̥̽̾̕ ̶̢̤̥̺̔̈̔̉͗̓ͦTͦ̃͏̷̢͍̙̩̗̱ͅḨ̴̥̠͖̀̈̍͆ͭ̆ͦ͗̽͢I͎̩̭̳̩͐S̪̺̯̫̜̙̙̺ͨ͑͌͂͑̄̄͢ ̙̘͖̉̀ͯ̈́̀Ę̶̡̼͚͖͍̩̭͋́ͅN̴̵͓̙͉̭͓̻͆̋͒ͣ̽ͩ̂̇͢C̴̠̪̩͈̼̎̋̂̐̓Ó̠ͣ͂ͧ͋͐U͖̥̩̓͐̕͡N͉̼̲̟͉̙̘̔͐͋ͩͣ̈̒́͞T̵̖̍ͭE͚̲̥͒͌́͠͞ͅR̲̪̫͕̅̾͑ͮ͢͝,̧̭̝̯̺̗ͤͫ̾ͩ̌͒̃ͣ̀͝ ̷̰͔͈͇͓̉́͘Yͣͧ̈҉̗̩̝̠̣E̋́͐́͏̶̹̗̙̤T̨̢̳̩͖̖͋ͨ̊̍̈̏̎̍ͣ ̢̳͕̤͇͍̓͛̎͛͐̂͠Ÿ̴̧̦̫̣̙̦́͒O̱̲͔̳͎̔̉͒̽ͤ͒U̻ͫ̿͒̌ͧ̎ͤ̀ͥ́̕͜ ̯͖ͦ̀ͣͭ͂ͥW͓̗̤̩̲̠̐́̂ͤͪ̽ͬ͛͝͝ͅE̯̝̫ͦͭ͊ͣ̾R̍ͦ͛͊̓͑҉͏̲̬̤͓͓̠Ë̙́̉̆̆ ̡̳̙̌̀̇́̕G̛̖̝̫͎̣̰̤̪̅̌̔ͫ̾͜O̷̷̲̪͖͐I̋̌ͧ͑͐́̋̚͏̴̡͉̹̻N̶͍̘̜̖͇̩͌ͩ̆G̨͉̟̮͔͖͙̫̹̩ͥ̊̂̐ͦ̄̚͘ ̢̝̘̘̟̥̅͊̆ͫ͒T̷̸̗͔̞̰͍͈̜̅̏ͫͨ̔ͩ́͟Ǫ̴̪̘̰̯̹̼̽ͤ͗̔ͬͫ̍̍̀ ̬̳͉̬̹̻͚̲̉̂̌̃͑͡E̴͖̜̩̞ͩR̗̮̰̜ͥ͂́͞A͈̤̙̎͘͟S̓̄̔̉͐҉̧̬͓̠̮̘̥͔͖̯E̮̬̝̺̅̑͛ͫ̂̎̚͢ ̻͎͍̯̙͇͔̝̒͋ͦͬͮ͟T͇̳̪͔̠̟ͩ͢Ḩ̛̞̫͒ͅEͯ̓͏̝͕̭̟̰̀ ̬̣̩̤̘̹̟̠̌̏̃ͤW̡̫̯͍̥̺̻͙̣̃ͫ̋͢H̆̒ͣ͛̑ͩ̚͢͝͏̪͈̱Ö̟̲ͨͣͨ̔̕͘L̿̈ͩ̈́͑̑̑͡҉͙͖̫̻̱̹̯̘E̸ͤͭ͛̒͏̬̞ ̸̩̜̣̮̖̓̂̐ͫ͜͝O̶̝͉̩̓͆F̴̙̟̓ͤ͊ͩ̃͋ͨ̀ ̷̗̞̖̪͙͍̱̓͒͑͜Ḩ̣̝̬̼͊̓͒͑ͪ̃̕͡E̎̌̑̀͗ͩ̔ͤ̊͏̜̥͇͔̰̭͞R̔̋͏͉̩ͅ ͔͖̫̲͂̆̓͌̿S͚̞̫̞̳̘ͬ͒Û̵͚͇̱͕̼̺͈͈̌͟ͅM̘̣̞̤̗͖̈́͗ͩ̐ͮͪ̅̑͠M̔̄̐ͦ̒̑̇͐͛҉̸̨ͅE͎̭̲̫͒̌ͯ͆ͥ͑̀̀͜R̴͇͈̹̳̖̞̲̖͊ͯ̀.̢͈̮̦̃͒͊̇͂"

"We're just trying to protect her from the supernatural creatures of this town! She's obviously seen lots of them already, she can sleep soundly without having to worry about any of them if we take the memories of them away!" It was amusing how Ivan thought his point was valid, how poorly thought out.

"Y̶̛̥͈̭͙̦͎̗̔͗ͭ͗͌͆͒́͟ͅƠ̵̘̗̓̌Uͥ͌ͩͧ̓҉͓̳͕̱̦͖̯̼͘ ̡̟͎͚̌̽͐ͬͯ̉́F̭̖̼̐ͤ̓͒͗̑̎͊O̷̭͚̗̼̣̩̹̩ͯ̌̒̍Ř̡̻̪͍̹̝̥̱ͦ͋̏ͧͩ͜G̔͐̀̐҉̺̱̣̬͇̲͈E̸̱̤̼͇̳̮̟̝ͤ̆̒ͪ̎̐͑͘͞Ṱ͎̗̠̻̜̓͐́,̮̻͖̖͈̤͖̩͊̚̕ ̓ͤ̍̿ͯͩ҉̥̙͖͕̩͔͡Ţ͖̭̜̓ͮͅH̷̿͐͗ͨ̎̄̇ͤͤ҉͈̺̭̩A̖̖̤̰͎ͥ͑̓̃͛̐̔͒̈̕ͅT͓̜͔̜̲͇̮̊̈̄́ ̠̺̰ͧ̀͠S͍̞̞̗͎͙̥͖̻̍ͤ́H̠͓͆ͥ̃̒̕E͔͍͎̝̬̖ͦ ̢̠̞͔̮̝͇͔̑ͭͣ͋̄̌̉͒͊W̱̬̳̻̤ͤͬ͋̎͝O̗͓͈̙͉̬͑́̂Û̧̧̥̰̲͎̬̯̿͜L̛͕̞͍͙̟̩̻ͥ̋̇ͨ̋͒͂͡ͅḐ͚̖̘̃̾̑̍ͬͧ̒̆̀ ̻̪̘̘̜̝͉̽̋̉̍̓ͯ͘͢͞F̲̥̮͑͐̽ͥ͋͛Ö̶̸̝̮̘̹̜̖́̊ͦͧ͒ͧͮ͊ͅR͈̣̬̬̱̞̜ͥ͆͐͑ͪ͘͟ͅGͧ͗͏̦̱̪̹́͡E͔͍̻̮̳̝͈̳̭͋͟͡T̳̗̻̼̹̬ͩ̿ͣ͗͢ ̯̖͚͔͕̳͉̲̌ͯ̑̐͘M̬̱̪̞̦̝̼̤̉͂Ȩ̱̦̝͚͎̞̬͉̾͛̄̈́ͨ́͗͒͡,̴͕͉͖̮͔̝͐̽ͣ͠ ̨̟̖̺̜͖̓̕͠W̜̹ͬ͒̋͑̄̿͐͂̆͝H̲̣̟̠̮͖͎̃̍͌ͭ̂O̦̙͚̜̟͇͕̖̾͂̽ ̷̟̖̞̜̤̮̻̈́̊ͣͦ͑ͪ́̈́ͅṢ̪͑̓͗ͨ̍H̸̺͉͇̘̯͕̹̫̽̿ͫͭ̓͒̀E͎ͦ͋̎̐̓̉̚͜ ͕̙̞̪̋̓̇͝Ḩ̱̠͍̖͎̙̪ͭ̐ͭ͂̂͑͑͗A̵̢͓̬͔̹̣̥̭̭͐͂̍̍ͨ̃ͬ̒͠S̳̖̝̝̻͕̣͆̃̑̍ͤͭ̄͡͡ ̮ͥͭ̄̚͠O̢̻͍̮͈̹̻̙̓̉̄̋N̴͚̰̞̦̘̯̼ͬͨ̋ͯL̨̘ͪ͗̊̈́̅ͣͤ͋͗̀̕Y̸̬̖̫̙͒̀ͮ̀͢ ̠͓̺͇̞͌̌̇ͦͧ̅͐B̸̨̰̦̲̭̰ͯͮȨ͔̰̗̗͕̭͚ͩ̊̇̄̽͡L̜͓̺̎͗̄̓͘͡͞O̷͉͌ͪ̊́N̸͓̼̬̠̂͒̊̑͆̀͝G̲ͬ̂̕ͅE͑͐ͭͫͩ̕͝͏̻D̳̺͎̺̬͕̬͇̃̍ͨ̓͟ ͪͧ̄̌͏̳T̛͙͎̟̆̑̔͋ͭͫ͋̎́O̟̫̯̹̱ͥ͆̀ ͈̞͍̬͛̈́̍F̷̻͕̹̘̓Ǫ̫̜̬̲͍ͩ̈͝ͅR͕̦̮̰͚̯̺̫̓̂̏ͬͮ͂̿͗͒́͟ ̙̠̱̼̖̲͉̳̀͗͂͋͋T̘͓͍͆ͯ̉̀H̨̠̘͖̬̖̲͇͍̟ͥ͑̊͑ͧ̈́̽̓Į̶͙̜̀̐̌̏ͮ͑̕S̛̯̭̖͂̏͗̏̆̀ ̨͙͙͈̗̭̹̭͐͆̉̓͋̀́̑ͭ͞ͅS̤̯̬̗͋̈́͐̽̋̌̏͌̾͜Ụ͚̣̫͎͂ͨ͢M̴̲̘͇͕͈̥͔̲̋́̇̇̈́̐͛ͧ͞M̞͍̳͚͈̉̋̆͆͌̔ͯ̚͢͞E̬̟̹͓̤̦̲̎̍ͬ̅͂͌̽͡R̻̖̹͍̊ͦ̆͊ͦ̕.̵̺͚̺͆̈́ͬ̔͐ͤͬ̇͝ ͥ̃҉̯S̨͖͕͎͎̐͂͗ͦͩͤ̕͢Ǫ͎̹̰̲̤͇̠̒͒͛ͯ̒͒̀ ̢̧̯̮̦͉̖̋̉ͩ͛̉Y̛̫̜͌͛̀̅̿̔͂ͪ̓́Ȍ̗̘̗̬̼͓̱̳̈̓ͩͪU̪̖̎̎ͫ̌͗ͅ ͔̯͓̋͆͛̓̇ͧ̈́A̢͕͕̖̠̤̋͂ͅR̡͖̩͎̝͚̥ͬ̈́̅͌̉̈͞E̛͉͇ͪ͂̌͋͛̚͢ ̬͔̘̲̳̖́̓ͥ̉ͫͦ̎̿ͅT̘̫̱͇̥̀̚͝Ŗ̫͖͓͉͉͊̃̀̽͌̋͡Y̸̤̯̦̮̫̾̀ͬ̅͘I̴̜̫̜̙̲͚ͮ̊͌ͮͥ̏N̴̨̤̖͛͗G̗̻̫͍̟͉̲ͦ̏̌̓͒̓ ̫͙̤̝̞͈̋ͅT̢̛̫͔ͦ̓͗ͨͫͯ͒͋̚O̜̝̲͉̫̺͈ͭͧ́͝ ̦͎͇͊ͫͬ͢͠Ŕ̸̳̪̯͙͊̑̃̄̓͛ͦ͗Ê̺ͥ́͢͡Ļ͚̻͔͑̋ͭ͆̈́̊̚͢I̶̥̘̟ͭ͢N͉̝̯̥̿͌̈̄ͮ̾ͥ̒Q̸̫̙̙̼͚̗̖̹͐̃̓̀U͕͖̬ͬ̚Ï̶͍̜͌̒ͫ̃͋S̲͇͇̝̘̹̳͚͓͆̃̔ͩ̈́̚͞H̴͖̪̥̝̰̘̻̩̆͂̇̈́ͮ̍ ͭ̐͊͆̓̽̊͑҉̞̜̩͙̳̮̲͍́͜ͅM̟͚͕̥̬̼͚͇ͦ̌̔̉̅̑ͤ́̚Ý̏̽̽̾͏͔̝̯ ͆̈҉̣̰̘̦̫̤̟O̓ͫ̆̓͏̝̦̦̣W̴̖̝̔͐ͦͮ̌̆̕N͍̤͕̤̹̽̏ͫ̽́̽̈ͣͩE̒̅̂ͫ̆͢҉̶̪͇͉̝͕͖̯ͅṚ̴̳͎̙ͭͨ̚S̸̡̳͙͔̭͉̄̂ͯͪͬ̔̐H̲̙̄ͥͭ̎ͤ̐ͦ̽͝I̷̵͗̇̂̂͏͖̜̩̰͔̘P̧̻͈̰̝̣͉̙̔͒̃̇̏ͫ͛̕͝ ͗͆ͮͧ̑ͦͩ̿҉̳O̫̻̲͕̼̗ͨ͋̔̒̂͑ͦ̐F͔̖̥̤̯̠͇̅ ̢͓̤͎̤̔͊̆ͪͮͪ̾͗̆H̴̬̭̤̰̰̰̞̖̋ͤ̂̌̕ͅẼ̘̮̠͕̝̤̰͕ͥͯ͆ͣ̄ͬ̍R̬̰͓͔ͧ̇ͪ̉ͪͫ̚?̢̬͚͇͚̞̝ͨ̐͛̐̔̋͘"

"No! We didn't mean to do that, we... we didn't know that... The sigils are supposed to keep demon's out!" Wrong move.

Dipper grabbed the man by the neck so quickly that all the air rushed out of Ivan's lungs, he could practically smell his fear. "Y̶̢̙̭̗͖͉͗̄̆ͩO̹̦̳̩̘̜̔̇̊ͧ̃U͇̩͚̯̙̳̎̊ͨ̇̒̈̌͐̃ ̵̨̤̅ͮ̍ͫB͈͓̅͛́ͫ͝E̵̶̶̙̾̊͂̔ͧ̏̅L̶̛̙̩̽͞I̸̞̼̝̥͖͛̌̎̂ͦ͘E̛͓̙̬͔̫̽͜V̴̯̞͚͎͍̥̝ͭ̄́̃͢͠E̤̪̹̮̽͌̂̌͋̂̆ͣ̏ ̸̖̥̣͋ͭ͑̽̑̾͞A͆̈́ͪ͋҉͏͍͙̻̰̝͉ ̶̹̩̳̈́̌́̈͌̑ͦ͟S̼̤̙̟͔ͨ̓̎͑́͒͜I̯͍͑̍̔M̥̫̼̲̺͕̤̼͗͒̿̅̒̽̍̚͠P̙̻̰͙͕͔͈̫̝͋ͭ̿͐̚͠͞L̴̻̯͎̠̗̪͓̦ͦ͊ͬĒ̒ͮ͗̑ͣ͛ͬ̀͏̵͕̗͍̭̼͖̪̖̝ ̴̛͙͎͇̹̲̝̱̯͋̅̅͌͌̍ͯP͕̬̩̖̪̙̖̩͖ͪ̿̿̂̑̽̾R̲̙͖̦̳͐͑̔O̅̃͂̒͏̴̗̙T̶̡̗̠̻͍ͭ̇͌́ͥE̵̪͕̪̫̦̭ͦͩͣ͗͡Č̵̷̣͙͚̍Ţ̫͍͔̹̥͋̀͡I̥͉̳͗ͭ̅Ȏ̃͆̄̏ͤ҉̫̗͔Ň̒͗̅ͭ͏̺̼̪ ͉̞͐S̠͍͔̰ͤͭ̽̐̾̌P̀̔̇̒ͭ̐͋͏̳̖͕̟̘͖̗ͅẺ̦̯̀Ļ͕̝͇̙̻̜ͬĻ̘̻̬̯̟̓͂ ̷̬̭̗̤͈ͨ͌ͪẂ̵̼͓͇͈̤̤̺̂ͨ̋̏̄ͬ͘͟ͅO̢̥͚̦̱̳̊̊́͞Ũ̩͉̖͎̙͎̩͚̻̽ͪ̑͊̎̅͌L̶ͩ̓̎҉̹̦̹͍̙̮D͌͌͐ͮ̑ͯͧ҉̛̝͕͈̩̪̟͕͟ ͍̲̲̞̳̝̣̑̍̄̏ͬ̑ͯ̀K̵̪̙̯̻̥̘̳ͨͯ̍̒ͪ̒̓̈́͡ͅẼͯ̉̍̌̉̿ͮ҉͙͈̥͜Ė̶̵̢̫̟̱P̶̹̳͔̘̳̱̤̔̎̿ͮͯ̀ͧ̈́͢ ͇̱̯̓ͦ̍̏ͯO͓̓̄̂̊̑Ù̠͔͓̟̒T͔̣̪̠́ͨ̌ ͖̭̠̗̪̪́͂ͧ̆̄́ͧ̄M̖͖ͧE̛̛͈̼̦͎̓̄̓̆ͫ̐͞,͈͖̗͉͈͌̽̄ͧ͂̒͢ ͇̟͙͚́͛̂ͧͪ͆̽͂̾A̵̮̞͖͕̺̜ͥ̈́̊̐͠L̸̼̘͔̱̙͚̫͂ͦͫC̻͎ͥͧ̓̿̂ͯͭ͝Ö̢͙̱̘͇̺͕̪ͦͩͭ͐ͨR̳̪̪̀͗̎͠, ̥̗̹͎̻̘͕̻̻̃͑̎ͨͦ͢͞T̻̭͙̪̺͔̱̘͋̋͋͆̌H̸͔͎̫̹̲̞͋͑ͥ͜E̴̱͍̦͍͓͔͕͂͌͋̆͋͘ ̨̦͎̥͎͉̊͋͗̎͛͐̕M̧̩͕̰͚̤̦̪̳̿ͭ́̈́͘Ö̟̤̱ͤͧ̃̏͋̒͗S̵̠̻͉̟̭̭͇̅̇͛̋̌̈͞T̻͓͂̔̆̈ͧ͘̕ͅ ̎ͩ̍͋̎ͨ͂ͫ̋͏͏̛̪͈P̶̋ͬ̈̔ͨ͗͐͏͉̫͉͇͍͓̫Ǫ̸͍̭ͫ̓̿͐͒̍ͪͧ͢W͓̟̞̼̹̥̋E̡̬̞̠͉̊͊ͤ͐̇͆̐͝Ȓ̟̟̟̙̰̺̜̄̾͊̑̇ͬ̓̕F̢̧̫̪̼̖͑ͧ̆͂ͩͬ̚Ǘ̢̞̻͓̈͂̔ͧL̥̲̭̳͕̪̰̀ͭ͘͟͡ ̛̼̳̬͙̬ͨ̆ͪ͝D͈͉͚̜͍̝̫̲̪ͣͨ̍͊̉͟Ę̴̰͎̭̈͑͗ͯ̓̿̑̍͞M̢̟̝̮͖ͣͦͯͥ̌̎̚͜ͅͅO̙͇̫̯̼̖̯̽̒N̟͚̠͍͕̻̥̗ͭ̆ͣ̔ͧ̂ͯ̃͑͠ ͛͗̅́҉̼̹͈̰̪̙̥ͅT̽ͤ̅͌̓͏͓̖̥̬͝H̥͎̰̰̲̟̯ͯ̾ͮ͠E̳̖͍͎̰͐̅R͚̭͉̺̿͑͗ͩ̉͟E͙̳̱̎̓̈͌̓̀͜͝ ̷̥͇̥̺͉̆͆̏́I̡̹͙̮̱̳̝̽̿ͭ̿Sͧ̊҉̲̪͔͖͚͇͈͘?̼̙͉͍͖ͭ̅͒!̴̢̩̉͆̾ͯ̐̊̽̊̀ ̶̯̑͒͑̋̾ͣͩŶ̹͖̓̍̾͒̀͡O̖͎͍̤̘̬͔̓͗̈́ͅU̺̞͇͗̇̐̿̆̀ ̶̢̙͎͍̥̣̹̗̆ͫ̄ͩ̔͂̾̾̿D͕̲̱̣͉̫ͦ͂ͅÀ̖͍ͤͬ̅̽̈͘Ŕ̶̹͔̺͚̝̥̗̇̈͆ͮ̆ͤ͒ͅĘ̵̟̻̟̟͙̭̖̗͖̏͛ͣ͆̽̅ ̸̳̞̪͉͈͈̙̳̌̀͝ͅT̮̬̼͍͚̟̅̆ͨͭ̾̒́̓͒O̞̼̰̞̭̩̲̘̭̿͘͜͞ ̴̸͎̭̟̊T̠͕̲̮͖͛͐̀̓̓̽̀ͅE̥̮̞̰̖̓͆ͩͪ̍̌̓̀̚͢L̜̲͕̭̟̤̦͔͕͗̀͜Ḻ̲̝̦̃̔͟ ̈́̑̐͏̰͈͢͝M̩̠͊ͨͦͥͫ͂̌̽͟E͇̳͖ͩ̅͆̓̽͟ͅ ͥ̀̌̃͑ͭ͒ͫ҉͙̞͉̪͈Ţ̝͖̩͙̒̿͋ͦ͠Ȟ̝͖̯͚͕̪͎͇̾̃͊̌̌ͦ͞A͊ͪ̏̅̾ͮ͏͕͙̪̼̹̫̣ͅT͔̭̩̤̫̻̖͆ͪͅ ̄̇̔ͣ͏̢͈̹̞̦̞̰̙ͅY͍̱̔̃͛ͫ͌̍͂͢O̳̠̟̻̠̭̬̽̿ͪͩͪ̈̃͌ͅU̙̗̦̣̝͈͔͇̅̾ͦͦ͋͟͞͡ ̘͎͎̱͎̮͎̗̔̏̿ͭ͋͑̍͋T͆͒͏̰̱̣̼͘Ḫ̢̫̺̖̋͛̕O̝͖̻̗͈̜̥̦̩ͦ́ͭͬͣ̍̍̀U͙̗̤̙͉̥̣̰͐̍̀G͚̝̗̙̙̿͟͝͠H̷̷̻͕̼͚̩ͪ͛̍̍̔ͫ̅ͨ͟T̷̡͍̹̜̯͍̄ͭ̓̓͛͗̔̋͠ ̷̭͓͂ͩ͛̓͒̈̚͘͠O̢̲̭͉̞͔͎͓̣̹͗̏́͡F̲͎͉͉̝̳̙͔̎ͨ͌̀͘ͅ ̵͚̫̲̮͊ͨ̓͡M̛̪̣̙̎̈́̌̉ͪ͛̓̇͠E̖̪̭̯͉̓ ͥ̃͊ͪ̾͗̊̈̚҉̡̖̟̯̮̙͕̥͙̼Â̵̩̣̪͔̯̲͈̮̭̎̉͑̚͟͡S̴̸̮̭͗̏̋ͬ͊̚͜ ̡̖̥̪̝̝̟̀ͦ̚W̛̩͕͓̰̬̦͛̊͢Ȅ̪̠̞͂ͥ̉͐A̶̢̤̼̅̍̅ͦ͞Ḵ̵̟͇̭̘̗̆ͨͪ͌̃̓͒̚!̧̨̞̤̻ͨͨ͟?̶͉̻̜̱̝̻̺͖͑̽͋" He roared in his face, turning whatever was left of his confidence to dust.

"I̴̺͍͙̖̫̘͔̿̿̉͝ ̣͚͕̉̆̽S̠̹̖͇̑ͫ̚H̸̤͓̜͎̤̳̜̲͑́̊ͨͦ̏̅O̴̤͔ͧ̉̾ͫ̎̓̉̌͢͜Ṳ̢̜ͤ͛ͪ͂̐ͫͬ̏̚L͓̼͐͊̾̾ͧ̓̀͞Ḍ͉̓̌ͪͨ̍ ̛̠̱̫͕͖̩͗̍ͤ̈́ͭ̉̇̒͟S̜̫͈̺͇̥͎̰̪ͧͥ͒̅́N͔̖͚͗̋̎ͮ̑͐̀ͬA͈̣̪̗͎̞͗̿̓̄͆ͫ͐̎P̨͈͔̤̩͍͎̭̻̔ͯ̀̂̓͛̒ ̫̩ͮ͑̿̉̑̽̌̌ͅY̯̣͖̖̗͔̭͎ͬ͗O̳̣̠̪̠̬̬̓̃̽̆ͥ̇̉̓U̸̴̠͙̟̻͑̆̎ͮ͡Ṟ̛̫͍̙̗̺̮̍ͯ̋̓̐ͨ ͉̞̹̭̹̺͇ͨ̅͡N̻̰̹̙͕̫̺͇̈́̀ͪͬ͆ͧ́E͍̦͖̺̟̣̰̱̓̈͋̾ͥͭC͖̰͊̾̓ͣ͞͠K̉̌̍̾ͫ̓̏͏͍̞̩̞́ ̡̥̦̦̫̻͙̎̓ͥ̕͝R̢̨̘̤͎͔̗͈̽ͭI̢͍̭̙̼̙̞̭̙̓̆̽̿ͣG̪̟̼̫̤̓̐̾͆̅̅̂̃́̀͡H͚̝̣͔͔̩ͧͤͮT̘͎̲͙̟̜ͯ̏̀͐ͣ̈́̕ ̨̥̗͙͕̝͈͆̈́̿́͐̀͌ͤ̎͜ͅN͖͖̻̪̙̈́̈́ͪ͊͞O̷̻̬̭̩̲̪̐W̧ͤͮͦ͑̃͏̜ ̸̡̲̮͉͔̺͚̦͙̺̏͊ͨ̊͂ͫF̛͔̮͕̮̜̖̄́ͅO̞͙̯̾̋͑̊͢R̢͔̩̤̟̹͖̐̓ͫͨ͂ ̞͈̲̫̫̲̲̟̘̄̈͛͢Ț̷͎͇̹̰̩̘ͬ̿͐̉̃̎ͅH̗̏̈̽͗́͟A̸̟̲͎ͤ̑ͣ̊̇͋T̀ͬ̏́ͯ̆̅̚͏̶̧̘̤ ͖͓̺̞͖̠͂̆ͦ̽̒̊͡͝Į͆̿͘҉̘̳͇̠͍͎̫ͅN̸͖̝̩̣͉̺̹͉̒͐ͮͭ̐̐S̷̨̯̼̤̠̳̦͙̼ͧ̓̄U̞̠̠̪͕̠̣͔͓͆̽́͜Ļ̥̙͉̠̺͙̞̓̄̄ͣ̏̄̈́͝T̛̫̱͓̦͔̟̙̒̆̀.ͮͣͥͮ́͏̡̼̺̫̥" But he took the chance to look over at Mabel, to see the fear on her face. Absolute fear... of _him_. She was shaking her head as she tried to stop her body from shaking, hoping he'd stop. And that was enough to make Dipper snap out of his fit of rage, to drag himself out of the pool of anger that had threatened to drown him. He needed a way to end this... peacefully. "B̜̹ͦ̌ͯ̑̑̚U̗͈̫̲͉ͦ̏͛ͭ̊ͯͧTͫ.͊̉̊͏̥.͙̲͉̳̟͇̂.̷͛͑͛̒̂ ̠͚̬͗ͣ͆ͬ͋͢I̭ͦ́̆̓̅ͅN͉͔͖͖ͤ̃Š̻͈͖̳̞̼̂̅̃ͦT̷̮͎̲͐E̴̠̝̩͇̾͛̏A̍̒̄̊̄̚҉͚D̴͋ͨ̾ ̵̲̰̼̂̊͒I̙̖̭ͥͮ́̅̆'̳͉̮͍͕̱̣ͯMͦͦ̾̽ͥ̑ ̷̩̯͕͙̖͉̋͊ͣ͐ͤW̵̽̈͐̈̂͊Ī͈̻̮̘̙͓̻ͫ̉ͭͩ̽͟L̨͓̈́͗̓̈́L̠ͯ̃̿ͦͣ̓̈I̥̺̺̞N̳̝̒̊͆̔̉̂G̗̙̭̊̄̓ͨͣ̚͢ ͈̳͙ͯͥ̍͠T̙̮̘͖̰̘͍ͯͣ̉̾O̶̹̤ͮ̔ ̩͚͉̞̝ͬ͠Oͤ͑̽F̟̳͉̬̬̆͑̓̑͒F͡E̝ͬ̓̒̿̈́̆Ṙ̻͍̖ͪ Y̟̤͖̫̅͞O̟̰͇̦͑̀ͦͫ̈̔U̗̞͚͚̠͎ ͇͚̠̼̣͈ͧ͑ͮ̔͐̄Ą͇̼͇͊̌̈́́ ̱̱̣̠̘̒ͦͧͪ̐̒́ͅD̨̠̝͚̪̹̮ͣ̀̽̽Ȩ̟̯̩̙ͪAL͂̏̌̿̿̑̇҉̱̖̞̱͙͓.̫̮͚͎̼̏ͮ"

There was that flicker of confusion on Ivan's and Mabel's face. She definitely hadn't expected him to say that, neither of them had.

Dipper let go of the leader's neck and let him drop to the ground, still looking at him harshly. Ivan was gasping for breath, his air supply having practically been cut of by the grasp of his neck. "What.. kind of.. deal?" He wheezed, obviously still quite terrified of the demon in front of him.

He chuckled a demonic, echoing laugh. "I̮̦̠͔͆̅̍̚'̞̗͓̦̇̑̈̒̊͒ͫM͕̦͚̣̩͗͛̉ ̈͛͌̈ͮ͆͋҉͎W̼̳̝̥͢Iͨ͊ͧͤ͛̽҉̟̠L͔̗̐ͮ͒ͩͧ̚Lͯ̈͆҉͖̠̞̞̳̝Î̟͚̲͈͎̼̜̽̒ͭ͢N̡̳͓͓̉̅͗̎ͫ̔G ̱͉͉̝̯̦̰̾͂ͪͤ̓̇T̖̍ͮͮ̕Ǫ̬̭̣̝̠̭͋ͩ̀͒͗̽̽ ̲̲̟̹̟̘͒̄ͪL̵̗͙̺̟̹͚͒E͓̚͠T̏̅͝ ̧̮͚̼̩̪̫͗ͮ̑̅̉͑̾Y̥̗͈͕̹ͩ̄ͯ̄͗O̮͇̭̺̳̓̏̌͗̈́̚Ṵ̵͕̖ͫ̄ ͉̠̃̆ͫͬͯͫͬA̪͎͔̰̔̈́̈ͅL̩̩͇͋̈́ͦ́L̖̗̪̮̦̆̎͜ ̱̲̯͕͔͉̥̽́G̀̈́O҉̻͓͎ ̸͓̠͈̥ͯͯ̂F̢͔̠̰͖̼̈́R̜̞ͮEͅͅȄ̹͓̮̹̟͒̾,͖̱͈̮̯͗ͤ̓̈́̔͘ A͍ͮ͋̈́́͟S̴̱͓̮͕̘̈́ͤ ̣͖̱͔̮͉͂̈͂ͯĻ̭̉ͮ̾̉ͯO̧̐ͤͯ͑͌N̻̳̯͋ͪG̽ͦ͐͠ ̟̠̞͕̪̠͕͠Ǎ̞ͨ̍ͧ̑ͦ́ͅS͓ͬ ̇ͪͧ҉̪͎͈Y̵͕̞̗̫͛O͕͒̔Ũ ̮S̩̩̪͔̗͊ͭ͌̉ͣͅT̠̙͖͚ͥͯO̢̾͑P̛̟̤͇͕ͥ̊̏̏ ̸̫̯̥T̹̺̥̙͎̥̑͗̕Ĥ͙̺̮̭͍͓̠͋̆̓̎̌̾I̩͚͚͛̿͗̈́́S̱̫̬ ̹͉͇͌͊ͤ̑̅͑̂Ȁ͑͏̗̥̤̠̦ͅN͌҉̣̳͉̫̪ͅN̬̥͇̘̓Ŏ̲̳̭̺ͤY̞͉I͎ͬ̆̀ͮ̋N̛̾G̨̣̩̤̑ ̦͍̦̰̜̦̑̾̍̓ͩD̮̦̳̒̿̌̑I̲̫̖͔̠̞S̟̝̳̉̏͠P̱̻̹̭̹̔̽L̢͙̫̆̔ͤ̃ͧ̏Ä̧̞̟͎̖̜̹̝̔ͣ̃̒̑̇Y̪̠̞̚ ̟̠͕͉̫O̰̬̒̉̑̒F̲̘̥̤͑͛̈̿ ̨͚ͤA̫̬͓̐͗͑U̴ͤ͋T͍͈̝̝̫͙̖̏͆̉ͤ̎̇ͤH̶̰̜͖̰̽́̆Ó͔̥ͯ̊ͮ̽́͑R̭͖ͥ͛͊ͨ̍ͭ͊̕I̸̠͈͖̠͒̅̽ͭT̪̞͒ͭͤ̔̽̚Y̘̫̘̟̗ͫ͑ ̱̞͎̳̈ͦ̿̍̚W̒ͣI͈̺͙͙̦̬̤ͥ̂̆T̢͔͑͊͑̄̇̉Hͭ̇ͩ̇̐̈̕ ̯̪͗̇̋̾̾͝Y̘ͭ̐̏̏ͯͯ͗͘O̧̱͔̤͕Uͫ̏̐͏̜̩͉͈ͅR̜̪͆͒̈ͧ̆ ̷̰̝̲ͨ̇ͣ̏ͨͅS̱͔̝̜̬̮̮̓̽̕TU͙̙̇̾̀̔̉̋̊P̨̣̝̹͖̫͉ͬ̄̑I͎̠̜̬̝̒͐ͪ̃̀̍ͅD ̅̄̍̏̑͛̀́L̯̹ͤ͘Ĭ͑̈͂͡Ṯ̊ͮṬ̟̹̩̰̻̻͌̍ͧ̈́̔L͕̯̰̪̲̬̎͂ͤ͑̀͆̔̀Ė͂̄̈́̋͏̫̹͎̹̖̪̳ ̶̋̋ͧ̚C̉͂҉̰̻͇̘L̮͔̄̓̎̓ͫ̍́Ū̖̘͉̪̙̇̎ͩͅB̤͈̣̫̲͓.̙̺͇̤̰̖͙ͧ͛̾̑́̋ ̣̬̤̮ͫͤͪ̎͠ͅY҉͈̤Ö̡̦̼͊͊ͫU͇̖̽ͫͮ̊́͞ ͕̯̯̹̍́C̜̬̮̭̮̔̾̈̑ͪ̇A̤̟̝N̴̮͙̄̽ͤ̓'͖̰̹͉͂ͮ͑ͨͯ̈́̀͘T̡̮̼̦͕̼͛ͬ͋ ̟̺̽͋̽͐ͬË̦̭̯́̇̀̓́͛̅͡X͈̘ͧ̀̓̈́ĀC̘̃ͫ͊̔͌T͇̈́͌̅̽͐ͫL̻̗̞̭̭̦͋̈͗Y͈͈̻̻̏ ͍̖͕͂̔̆͐͛́M̴̭͎̦̭̻̯͛͊͆̆̉ͤA͖͚̯̗͇̫̎̕K̴̃̓̊ͫ̿͋̀E͚̯̯̿̕ ͂D̻̲͚̝͊̈́ͅͅE͗̏͌A̵͎ͮ͛͌͑ͭ̎L̄͋ͤͥ͡S̱̔̉͆͐ͮ ̶̱̭́Ẁ͕̐͋̄̚I̴̹̙̼̋͊̋͋̓̅̔T͈̣ͮ͒H̶̳̦̯̠̲͈̓̈͌ ̼̩̱̜̟̣Ȅ̙̖̬͖̟̖V̄̀͏͖͎͈̯Ȇ͎̰̦̬͉̟̲͑͆̆͆̀̇R͉͙̤͕̮̼ͣ̑Ỵ̶̝̰̦͍̳̰͗͑ͧ̉̋O̻̱̲̟̟ͨ̉̌̉N͌̽̅̃̇҉͉̬͈Ẹ͉̱͈͢ ͢I̛͍͒F͇̳̪̪̯̓͟ ͙͖͡ͅN̟̘̰̓O̜̱̗̘ͯ͐͝N̨̥̬̺͚E̷͕̱̭͕̎̊ͩ̏͊ ̝̠͓͓͙̉ͮ̈̽̆ͪͅOͨ̓F̨͎͉̻͎̰̰͙̅ͥ͋̌͆ ̱̼̖̙̱T̖͎ͤ͒̀Hͣ̃́Ē̼̼̌͊M̫̜̟̯̻̈ͬͧ ͎̥̩̔̓̑ͭ̾͂ͅĘ͉̦͔ͣV͍͚̝̥̱̹̌̀̆̓ͣ͜ẺͧN̴͍̳̠̗͔̯̙̒̋ ͎̭̼̳̒̃̀͑̌͟R̤͗ͮ̄́̓́Ê̢͚̰͉͐̏̐͋̚M͍̞͈͚̟͙̅̐Eͨ̽ͮ͌̆͜M̪̂̋̈́ͣ̓͌͛B̮̹̋̽ͬ̀E͚̱̘̱̲̻͑ͣR̼͛̎ͦ͆̏ͮ̽ ͔̖̪̱̣ͮ͌ͤͭ̎͋̑́Y̢̝͉̮͖̯̠̽̓ͯ̍O̮̟̱͋̇̐͂ͪ̽̚͡U̘̫̹̿ͨ̀̈́̆̑̈́́ ̦ͮͪ̐͟Eͣͩ̓̐̅X̡̫̹̻̤̉I͎͓̟̬S̾҉̯͙͕̯̝̮T̘̓ͭͫ.̴̲̞̫̹̞͐̉͗̚ ̦̄͝ŶO̳͇͗̃Ȗ̺̝̬͎ͣ̈́̄̈͐͠ ̞̘͎̹̮̽́̐ͦͨ̉́͡G̩͕̱̭̝̪͗ͅI̞̜̩̱̳ͪ̍̂̊̂V̦̖̲̝̫ͭ̃̊E̥̘̩̤̩̦̳͊͌̃̍̈̊ ̗̻̝̮̪͖̐̂̃M̖͙͇͉̮̹̠ͩ̋̑E̘͈͔̘͈̼̭͛ͦ̓͒̌̿ͧ ̸̼̰̮͛̓̾́̑̄̑B̯̮ͥ͊͛̄̋A͙̬C̀ͧ̿K̝͙̤̥ ̬͇ͤ͛ͭͮ̾M͖̺̻̉ͯ̒̇̈́Ÿ̸̱̖͚͖͔̋̿ ͉͕̠̤͒͝B̺̬̠̅̆̌̃Eͤ͂͋̈̈͛L̨̋̓̽O̧͖͖̹͒̿͑̔̏ͯͅN̟̞̝͚ͣ͟G̣͈İ̟̟̮͖̟͓͒ͦ̈́́̄Ň̴͈̮͇̦G͔ͪ̉̿͛ͨͦ͞,͙̻̱͎̀ͪ ̶̦̱̖̜̞̈́ͤ͑̃͆̍ͥÄ͆̈́̀͐̅Ṇ͈̟̱̗͈̒͛͂D ̺̙͕͎̳̉̅̋̔ͨI'̯̟̝͢Ḻ͓̩͇̟͈̍̌ͫL̰̹̬̱̰̊̏ͣͧ ͇̟̗ͫ͢Ṱ̴̜̹̓ͨ̒̐̋A̠͍̭͆̀͊̓ͮ̚Kͥ̐̌ͭͮ̽̓҉̦̯̜̦E̩̞̲̺ͩͪ̀̏ͨ̕ ̵̥̫̼̞̟̽͑̓ͤ̏̂C̗̆ͬ̿ͩ̑͑̒Ạ̫͇̟̓̊̆̈̆̐R͖̜̎ͬ͐̌̔͌͗Ě̷̙͇̦̩͒͛̂͌͛ ̙͉̻̄̌̍͗͆O͓̜̲̮̻̙̹͐ͮ̓̕F̢̜̫̼͎̙̌̉̃̒̅ͅ ̟͖͕̠̥̀̍͞Y̤̹̞̱͓̠̭̓̑͜O̳ͭͬ̂ͨ̐̽ŪͮR̲͇͚̹̒̒̔ ̊͗҉̪̲ͅB̷̟̗̓̆̈͊͒A͉͖̭͕̰͑͊S͗̈͌̇͑̉͏͍̞E̢͔̱͉̻ͦͥͨͭ̅̉ ̶̺͚̼̝Dͫͨ̒ͩ́̅̅O͔̙̲̳̥̊̒̋W͇͓̭͊̓͂́͜N̤̳̣̗̋ͤͣ͋͋̈ ̨͎̱͈͓̦̻̿ͫ͗̍H̹͇͙̯̀̚ͅE̲̥̠͉ͣͫ̓̏̓͡Rͦ̾̏͟Ĕ̬͖͉̬̙̣̔,̰̜͓̻̤͉̟͟ ̸̺̳̻̠͕̥ͩ̊̌͌͛͑R͙͎̥̤͓̫̓̉͆͗E̮͖͚̟ͫ̈́Tͪ̍ͮͤṲ̱̬̣̐ͣͣͭR̹̾̃͑ͯͯͫͅN̈ͭͥ̎̒I̮̗͔̖͙͕̠̾̅͟N̪͆ͦ̈́͠Ǧ̴̯̗̈ ̦̳̠̺́ͣͨ̾ͬ̚A̲̖ͥ̈ͤ̅̉ͬ̚L̙̲̥̉̂̊͞L̶͖̯͓̝̑ͯ̾̇ͥͅ ͍̰ͯͬ̑͟O̼̗̮̞̺̰ͮ̍ͅḞ̨̖͐ͩͩ̍ ̦͚̫̠̙ͫͯ̔̐ͅT̟̎̅͛̾͑͊H̰̱ͮ̓̈ͣẼ҉͙ ̑̆̾ͬ͏͉̱̮M̖͗E̷ͯ̓̓͛Ṃ̧̯͚O̟͈͈͑̓̋͜R͎̐͌̿ͨͭ̓I̖̱̰͔͉ͪ̒̔͂̍̚E̱̜͇ͬ͋ͪͤS͎ͦ̾ͯ͊͘ ̮̼̐̌͊̃̀̀͛Y͓̙̜͉̒ͦ̐̓ͫ̄̚Ǒ̵̬͖̬̯͔̺͉̅Ų̣̙̙ ̻̯͒͛ͥ̄̎̈S̤̮̻̮̕ͅT̡͍̗͙̟͖̙̬ͣ̌ͨͪͦ̽̽O͈͖̮̖̫̺͆ͦ͘L̏͂̏͑ͧ̀̽͝E̺̪̥ͥ͋ͤ̽͂̃̈́.̡͚̝͕͇ͤ̊"

"B-ut what wo-uld we get in re-turn. That soun-ds like a rea-lly one-sided de-al."

Dipper was about to say 'You'll get to live' But the human part of him told him that was too harsh, and that Ivan was right that it was a one-sided trade. So he thought up something better he could give as well as their lives. "Ḭ̿ͫ̋N̺͇̝͆͡ ͚̩̯̗͒ͪR͈̥̜͑ͫͬ̍̍̑͑E̵̖͛̾̑̓T̵͚̪̣̽ͤ͐̊U̡͈̮͈̼̇͌Rͫ̾ͧ̿̀͏̠N̴̞̳̰͖̙̥̯̉,̬ͦ͒̄̾͋͡ ͈͎͙͔͉̔̑̏̿I̟͕̠͇͂͊ͤ̄͛͐̕'͈̫̖ͭͮͅL̟̯̠͈̦̳ͫͫ̔̋̑ͬͬ͝L͇̤ͮ̅̈́̚ ̮̗ͬͤ͂̑̈́͂ͬṰ̑̄ͅA̻̦̪̲̠̘͉͗͞K̹̙̠̳̦̜̉̌̿ͅE̴͚͎͈̟̞͕͒ͨͨ ̲̯̳͙̤̓ͤͮ̍Ỵ̝͇̣̩̖͕̾ͩ̎ͧ̓O̜͎̙͖U͕̫̬̲͔̣̪̐̚Ŗ̝̟̠͓̙͕ͩ̈̿̐ ̢̻̟̽ͯ̓̅ͮM̝̲ͥͅÉ̪̝̬̤́ͤ̆ͅḾ̟̜̤̯̜̣͌̈ͅȎ̭̗̅̀R̮̲̮ͦͤ̃I̲̦͉̪͎̥͒̍E̢̫̳̟̖̓́͑S͓̤̟̻̅ ̠͓̗̤̱̉̽̍̽̿O̭͋͛̅̉̐F̶̙͚͚̘̌͌͆̆͑̏ ̖͚͍̖̟̩̩̐͛̉́A̝̝̥͚͗̋L̼͋ͧ̓ͨ̉̆L̤͉̪͔̅͛̆̿̈́ ̢̞̣̯̼̰̹̳ͣ̓͆̈́̓̈̚T͈̫͚͚̲̝ͣ̋̃̉̓ͅḦ͖̮̣̠̉͛̀̅̇̀Ǎͯ̽̓̆̒̎T͍͠ ̛͖͇̰̩̭̗͙ͥͦ̔Y̪Ơ̘̱͉̘͙̻̣̆ͨ̄Ǘ͓̽̍ͨ̔ͦ͟ ̲̥ͪ̍̌̃ͥ̒̓̕E̛͖̝̞̝͙̯V̫͇͎͊͑̐̌̾̀Eͯ̀ͅȐ̶̖̻͉̭̱̄̏̓̑ͯ͗ ̰̼͙͈̫̗́D̸̥̥̱̞̰͈̥͑ͭ̏I͋̑̽̾̀D̬̲͇̳͌͠ ̳̫̗̜̥̘ͧͦ̑A͔ͤS͔̮̞̫̓̋̾̚ ̢̟͙͇̹͙̹͒̈ͯ̒T̸H͉̳͍̪̦͔̻ͩ͊E̜̰̠̙̻̪̽̌̊̆͘ ̵̲͚̙̜̐ͧͤ̐̓'̹̅Š̻̰͚̝̊͞ͅO̪̹͗̓ͩ͌̚C͙̥̟̀̊͌ͣI͞Ĕ̞̝̠͙͓̪̈ͭT̾̊̚Ỹ̤̬̒͋ͮ̃̔̓̕ ̩̜̰͌ͪ̽̿Ö͚̤̝͈̞͉F͉̄͑͛ͯͬ̅͌ ̤ͭ̓̾̍̿̔̏T͆̊̐̊͌͑H̶͖̠͓͓̮̹̑ͬ̾̈̄̈ͅE̙͛̐̽̓ͅ ҉̬͈̥̪̰̺͈B͙̔͂͡L͚̬͇̠Iͦ̽ͬ͏̥N̛̼̩͙̤̜D̓͒ͩ̅͋ͭ͏ ͓̙͍͙̀Ėͭͩͫ͆̔̆Y͔̠͔̥ͧͤ͋͑͌E̜̻̪̻͎̮͒̐̀̏͂'̶̯̤̥̠̃̋ͭ ͎͖̩͇̲̻͊̈̍ͨͪA̙̱̟͙̙̘ͭ̎̒̋N͈ͪ͒ͧ͠D̥ͬ͐ͥͨ̊̓́ ̤̰͇̗́͋ͧͧ̚͡Y̳̌̾̋ͪ̐̄̚O͇͖͙̱̹̟̺̾̀ͬŨ͔͖͑ͤ̕ ͓̐̋ͩͤ͗͆͞C͈̓ͨ̾͆A̫͇N̵ͨ̐͊ͥ ͙͈̬̦͇͛̑́͜ͅL̡͕̻̖͕̟̭̽̽͑̐̈̈́ͅỈ̖̺̗͔ͪ͗̇̚V̢̹̺͔͌͒͛ͪͥͅE͖ͨ͐̉̅́͂̐ ̖̭̲͚̞̼͟Wͮ͗̔̎̃͝ÏT̶̙͔̊̒ͫ̓ͥH͈̠̩̲̃̍ͥ́ͨͭÖ͉̼̦̙̩̫̻́̀Uͬͦ͗͑̓̕T̥̗̙͕̫̯̳ͫ̓ͬ̃̿ͨ ̱͈̰̖͉̠͙̄ͭ̇̈͊̔ͣE̵̋̏̍̓V̪̣͎̥̣̦̅̑ͩE͈̬ͩ̔͂̽̽́̈R̹̪͔̮̪͖̰ͧͤ̅ ̲̎̀̏̓͑͠H̡͖̎̅ͩ̄̎̚Ȧ̟͇̇ͧ̐ͥ̉ͧV̩͙̻̼̭͗̾̾̋I̟͔͔͖̫̲͝N̦̜̗̔ͬ̊͞G͙̤̣͍ ̢͍̗̣͊̌ͩ̃ͅT̂̐̈͗̄͊͠O̟͖͓̗̪̲͑̓̅ͭ̽̓ ̼͕̹͓͔ͩͦ̀ͧͣW͇̬̣͚̽̋̾̓Ó͇̘̻̻̙͙̭ͨͬͫ͆̎R͓̖̖̩̥̫̝ͫ̇̐ͨR̮̞̦͕̝̐͐̓Y̸̪͍͑ ̧̭̃̐ͤͥA̩̩͙̘̅̐͢B̷̲͈̒̾Ǫ̱̞̣̌̎U͈̭̪̻̙̗̻ͩͪT̩̘̒ ̧̙̖̺͎̞͉̯'̭̭͚̪͈̟̔Ȟ̗͍̲̬̟̰ͪ̍̐E̢͚͈̟͗̒̽͂͛ͤL̻̙̪̹̜̜̎ͥ̔P̤͛̋̊̿I̭̥̖͓̖ͪ͒̔̆̋̍́N̗̭ͮͪ̾͌͛̌ͨG͎̤̯'̰̄̓̓ͯ ̘͢T̰̮͚̟͇̗̋̃͐ͧ͂̚H̰̯̦͕̣̣͗̑ͯͣͬ̍Ê̼̖ͯ ̈́͑̏̐̍P̱̦͗͐̓̀ͥ̍̚͠E̗̞̝͔̘͇͓O͓̻̻̐̓̂̀͋ͣ̚͠Ṗ͚͈̺͖͆ͥ̑ͩ̐͑L̘̥̠̥̙̜͙͆ͩ̓͝E͊̐ͪ̀ͪͦͤ ͈͈͉͈ͮ̓̀ͨ͛ͤ̑͘ͅO̟̳̯͂F̛͍̫͕̯̗͑ͧͥ ͉̠͈̩̹͒̄̇̄̏̐̃Ṱ̜̖̱͔̗̝̍̑̇H̻͍͠Ì̲ͅS̳̰̤̞̩͉ͬ̍ͧͥͧͥ ̻̳͔̻̫̭̾̽̇͂̀F̟̤͚̬́À̩̞̘̮̅̎ͥͮ̚I̧͑̽ͬͅR̵̖̟̘̭̪͚͓̆̋̈́̊ ̟͕͕͝T̡̖͇̃ͤ̅͗O̡̹̳ͫͥͅẈ̗̭͉̖̭͋ͧͧ̔̆̌ͭ͢N͇̠͗ͩ̐̀.̷̀͆͛ͮ ͍ͫ́ͭͨ͒́ͯ͘I̧̱̖̫'̯̦̘̱͕͌ͮ̌̊̄͢L̳͇̺ͤ̐̋̓͆͗͢L̩̈́ͩ͌ ̖̱̫̲̥̿̅̕ͅM̨̮͂Ä̵̜̣̭̺̜́ͣ̔͐̈K̝̘̤̳̫͚̏̌͆ͩ̃̋̌̀E̒͆ͯ͏̹̝̲̫̮̜̖ ͍̩̠̤̘̆̑͋ͧI̛̪͉͈ͥ̋͒ͧͤͭͨT͕͍͉̝̊̏͟ ̔̿̅̌Sͤ͋̍̍ͨOͥ͗̇̅̚͏̼̞̥͎̩͓ ̴̫͎͕͙͚͇̘͋Y͏̱̞̪̖̮̥O̮͕̞̞̣̖ͭ̔͒̓̏ͮͅU͔̯ͯ̎͋̉̑̃'̭͙̠͛̅Ĺ͕̲͎͇̥̗̫̊ͪ̎ͭ̀́L̍̿̄ͫ͏͖ ̼̠̤̙̝̣͊̓F̷̮̳O͋ͬͬ͏R̝̥̮E͓̯̯͓̩̙ͩ͋̀V̨̜̰̖͌͑̿E̢̔͆ͬ̅͒R̲̈́ͯ͌̎̊ͤ ̻̗͂͜B̠͕̺̣̰̻̣̎̑E̞̖͆̌ ͉̟͓̲̭͐͒̉͑ͤBͯ̄̃ͮL̹͑̔͂O̷̞̳͕̹̗͂̏ͮC̙̘̯̼͆̈ͭ̃̆K̼E̩̫͓̗̱͚̟̐͗ͯ͞D͚̟̼̤̣͓͗̈ͯ͡ ͇̥̝̠͎͉͑ͪ͑̾ͮ͗͒F̐͊̽̈͒̑͝Ṛ͇̥ͧO͙͍̻͗M̘̺̜̞̞͓͍̀ ̇͗͠T̝͙̘͎̺̤̠͒͒̌H̬͇̰̞̱̮̿͂͒̑͡Ē̛͇̔ ̝͇̮͙̍̌͝ͅS̺̜̰̬͍̈͢ͅǗ͙͈͎͓̫͍ͯ̇̃͆͐̕Ṕ̝̪͔̹͖͖̖̾ͤͯͬE͖̙̫̗̙̲͘R̷̩N̛̻̫ͮ̆ͣ̋́A͑ͮ͂͢Ť̫̟̋̓̽Ų̝Ȑ̲̜̯̮́̽̉͂ͥ͡ͅA̯̠̯̗͛́̋ͯͥ͠Ḽ͔͔͍̞̜͈ͫ̋̒͑,͚̯̞̊ ̹̭̘̞̩ͫ̕S̯̟̠̹̳Ò̝͈̝͇̼̰͙̿ ̲͚̋̒̏̇͠W̓ͬ͆ͧ͊H̨͔̙͔̟̮E̫̪̭̠̬̮ͤN̼̫̼͉͉̠̐̏̄̆͗̈́É̗̽ͣ̋V̞̝̣̀ͧͩE̢̩͓͆ͥ̎ͥͤ̅͗R̤̀̍͊͋̾̆́͘ ̣̹͈̈̎̐͐̐̓Ô̟̈͐͑͌R̻̲̙̮̈́ͪ͊̆͆͐ͅ ̠̙̩̌̌͂ͫ̃Ỉ̢̙̱̗͌͐̄̿F̙ͮͦͯ̀̐͞ ͓̝͎̂ͭ̈́̒͊͝Ĕ̪ͨ͑ͦͮ̽̚V̷͙̥̝̯̻̯͂̆ͪͮE̱͔̪̓̆R̮̽̉̈́͘ ̷͓̙̰̈́̉͆̈̐ͨỴ̷̮̬̟͍̩O̾͂͟U̿̿ͨ͂̆ ̞̭̈́ͩ͐̐͛S̥̦̲͎̬̪̻ͭE̳̩̪̞̭͓ͨ̈ͫͩͥĒ͓̠̖̤̽ ̨͕̗̟A̵̟̬̖͚̬̭̩͗̋Nͪͯ̈́Y̷͉͕͚T̜̉̉̈H̜̙̰͓͒̎̀̓ͪ̓͝I͓͆ͩͭ͌ͧ̀N͔͔̹̣̼̤ͪͮͦ͋G̺̬̪̾̔̌ͧ̇ͯ ̌͏͇ͅǑ̢͎̈͗ͦ́ͤU̼̳͙̺T͎̜͚͔̱͚̙ͫ̿̓͐̅ ͉̤͑͊̿͟Ó̳̼͈͇̥̜̄̑F̘̦͑̂͛̾̂ ͍͉̻̊̒̈ͥͭ͗̽T͒ͤH̟̪̩̰̣̐ͭ̾͌̊̾̕Ě̡̏ ̣͕͚̈̿ͨͪͮͮ̀O̸̪̞̖͕̍͆̋̓R̥̙͍̲̳̟̜ͥ͒̉̌̑D̖͛̂̆̏ͣ̇̚Ị̶͙̞̞̠ͥͨNA͍̳̯̒̄̇̃͌ͩ̌R̨̃ͦ̔͊̍ͤY̳ͪ̐̃̇̓ͨ͌,̉̈́ͫ̀ ̗̹̺Yͣͥͧͪ̓͐ͪ͏̼̘̖͎̬͖̞O͖̱͔̬̫̺̽ͪ͋ͪ͡U͙̳͕͔̻̫͎ͧ̀'̵̟͖͇̙͙ͭ̄ͦ̃͆̚L̦̤̰ͫ͆̍L̘̍͗͌̈̅ͨ̎ ̵̲̻̓͂F͓͖͍̪͈̼̹O̮̙̠̫͓̜̯ͤ̅̂̎̊ͣŔ̷͇̬̙͉͍̙̦ͯ̚G̷̥E̛̬̫͐T̊̌ͬ̿ͤ́ ͐͑̽̃͗̏̚À̛͚̩͓̟͖͗̓B̼̪̤̌̃̿̌̉O͈͊U͕͇͙̒̏ͫ̍̒͌͘T̹͚̤̜͇̅̃ͧ̅͐͞ ̳͋͝I̼̺͙ͩͬ͒̈́̃ͦ͟T̳̠̘̈̀ͪ ̻͇̟̬͓ͅA̽̓ͩ̀͡S̗͍͋͑̾̍ͅ ͍̑͒ͪ̇̀S̳͉̜̤̫̠͈̅̈̿O̳̗ͣ͛̿̎́̚Õ̰̩̣̳͍̘̀ͯ̈ͪ͘N̪̤̬͚̺̤͈̎ͣ̂̓̌̀ ̹̬̭͇͙̮̑Ä́҉̱͔̭̻S̱̦̿͞ ̳̟͎̜̩̟̘̽̇ͨͣͪ̑̎Y̰͎̹̭̊͛̈́Ȍ̑̏Ȕ̹̞͉̀͑ͤ͂̓̊͡ ̇ͣS̞ͩ̈͐ͨ̊̐ͤŤ̘̳̮̯̻ͭͤ̀ͯ̈ͭO̮P̣̙̟ ̙̱͎̃͐̂̾ͦͮS̩̉ͧ̌ͤͣ̀Ė̗̺̙̮̠͌̃̂̀E̹̦̱͎̋ͮͩ̐̀Iͪ̒̚N͕͖̚G͈͙͔̜̻̻̩̉ͥ ͉̼͚̗̣̟̱ͫ̆I͍ͯ̑̾̉̐T̆̐ͤ̊̇͒.̪̬̬̣̒͗̓"

"So we wouldn't need to worry about helping everyone else to forget, we would forget about it ourselves?" Blind Ivan seemed to have gotten his courage back, or at least enough to be able to speak without crumbling with every word. He looked unsure about the whole deal, so Dipper decided to push him. "O̸̼͍͍͇̭̬ͣͩ̔͘Ḧ̴̜̼͍̩̬̘̰͖̅̎͊͞͞,̛̻̻̲̔̌ ̢̞̱̼̟͚̱̥̍̇ͤͬ̐͆̈͘͝A͇̩̭͕̼̖͙̳͛̋͒͢͟N̗̳͛̒̃D̛͍̼ͯ ͔̔ͩ̋I͛ͣͯ̒͑͗̽̒͞͞ͅFͯ̐́̒̇̐͆҉̡̜̘̖͎̟͔̥ ̸̻ͬͮ͋͘Y̩̪̱̠͂́ͧ̊́͟͞ͅO͙̥̗̟̱̟͚͈̊ͥͯ̃̉U̳̬̰̬̎ͤ̀̔͗̈́ ̝̳̹̦ͬ̃̏̾́̕͝D̸̲̻̘̲̞͇͉ͤ̈́̓O͍̯͍̓ͫ̋̈́̏ͬ̋̆͑͡͞͡Nͮ͏̷͖̥̺̕ͅ'̢̫͖̺̝̳ͭ̊T̴̫̙̺̙̬̑̾̈́͂͑ͩ̾̐ ̝̙̻ͩ͗͛͐́͟͠Ţ̩̙̾͂͟A͇̖͔͍͇̞̻ͫͣ͊̀͡K̷̢̛̯̥̥̾͋̍ͫͦ̔E͆̔̏̔̐͏͉͎̬͝͠ ̵̶͇̺̥̦̌ͯ̍̌̍̂̂̑T̢̬ͦ͊́H̫̝̯̻̖͎̤͌̎̂ͬ́ͅI͎͎͓̮͚̐̒ͦ͆̀S̸̶̤̫̺̭̽͒̓̃ͫ͢ ̶̞͓̩̹̳̯ͥ͛̅́ͬͭD͖̝̦̘̭͎̰ͭEͧ͊̄ͧ͂̃̃ͤ͏͚͡A̯͓͆̀̎ͩ͌ͯ́̚Ḻ̶̷͖̟ͭ̎̐ͮ͛͆ͭ,̩̯̗̑̀̐̓͛ͮͭ̚͢ ̛̳̼̹͔̬̃̿͋̌ͩ͂͠I̢͇̲̩͖͈͍̾͌ͭ͜'̧̭̪̙͓̻̞͊̋̋̊ͮͅḶ̤̫͇͙̻̪ͧ̂̅ͤ͡͞L̴̡̘̬̻͍̹͗̽͂̐̔̌̌̚͠ ͔̥̳̥͎́͗͂̓ͧͫ̎J̡̹̻̩̫̼̱̙͐ͬU̧͙͆̊ͯ̒̂̍ͯ̾Ş͍̠̪̐̈́T̢̼̙̒̍̈ͭ͟ ̶͖͖͔̭̺̰̀͂̌ͨ̒ͯͪ͢K͓̔ͯ̒ͬ̆͞Í͚̦͕̱̖͖ͪ̎̈́͌ͤ̈́͒̀L̦̝̞͇͛͊L̸͚͉̖̔̏̎̾ͦ ͇̬̰͖̝̫̟̠̣ͧ͆̕͝Y̮̼̙͈̪̙̭͔ͬ̊̾ͧͥ̾́͂̆Ő̷̸̢̘͔͉͆ͦ̅ͫU̍ͣ̅̉͊̈́͒ͣ͏͈̼.̌ͤͦ͟҉̟̟̮̯̯͍ ̞͔̮̥͔͇͒ͭͮͨ̓̊ͧ̀S̶͕̗̺̦̱̭̳ͭ͋̊̆̕Ȯ̺̣͖͇̗̗̜͜ ͙͈̦̭̮͈̗ͥ̓ͧ̍̀ͨ͒́͡I̛̗̲̻͇ͦ̾̽͋̊̚T̪̟͉ͫ̒ ͖̭ͫͫ̉̂͘͝W̷̹̠͍͙ͮ̿̏̋͛̉̎Ȍ̲͎ͣ̏̅ͪ̕U̯̮ͯ̃̌̀̚͘ͅL̛̥̝͓̤̘̜͉̩̑̏ͯͦͩͩͮ̓D̞͓̬ͩ̓̄̓̊ͭͦ͠ ̻͈̞͉̻͈̘͌̌̓̚͞B͉ͨ̈̾̉̀̏E̴̜ͤ̈́ͭ̐ͪ͋ͪͥ͡ ̷̴̛̙̺̤̠͉̟͖͕͍̅ͮ̔͊ͥ͊̄ͬẄ̡̱͓̖͂̃̋̎͘͝I͔͕̜ͤ̾̎͛ͣ̍ͨ̌S͈̲̭̯̭̿̐ͪÈ̦̹ ̡̢̹̠̉ͯ̏̑͒̅̽T̷̹͈̣̈́̍̋̚Ȍ̺̟̣̞̐͊̈́͐͛̋͡ ̶̸͕̗͎͎ͥ̐ͦ͢T̆̇̊̑̏ͥͭͨ͏̰̯͢A̟͈̠̬͖͓͖̞͙ͯ͛͛̄͗̊̍̾́͘͟K̢̗̥͓ͤ̈́ͮ̑̾̈́͌̅ͩE̢͒ͫͦ̏͏͙̦̝̱̝ ̼̠ͤͥ̕I͐ͦͮ҉̼̭͓̙̼̠͘͘ͅŢ͔̜̖͙̯̟͂̒ͅ.̪ͯ̍ͧͥ̑ͩ̄̚"

That definitely quickened up Ivan's decision. He took a quick look round at the others in the society, who were all nodding furiously, probably more because they didn't want to die than because of the actual deal itself. When he looked back round, Dipper had his arms crossed and was waiting for the reply.

Dipper had looked at Mabel from the corner of his eye while he waited in those spare few seconds, and he had seen the confusion in her eyes. And he knew why, even though he hated it himself. Right now he was acting so much like Bill. And she was probably wondering why, what had happened to make him do this? Why was he so eager to make a deal? Dipper barely knew himself.

He saw that Ivan had come to a decision, so he held out his hand, a smile forming on his glowing yellow mouth as the hand started to burn with his unholy blue flame. "D̛̞̱̦͙̣̪̳ͣͧ̎͒̌͒͟E̶̞̹̠̜͍͎̼̓̅̅̃͑̀ͩ̚Ą̝̾ͬ̍͗̓̊͠L̤̳̩̗̯̬̐̔ͥ͗̀̅?̛͍̈͊̇̿ͦͥ̑̃͜" He asked eagerly.

And just as expected, Ivan took his hand and shook. "Deal."

Dipper felt that single moment of joy as the deal was struck, that feeling of absolute power, like when a child first tastes something sweet. It filled him, making him feel alive, and it reminded him why he had been so restless to make that deal, so he could feel that inspired feeling again. It gave him a reason to love being a demon.

The two's hands separated and the remains of that feeling stayed with him for a second longer, before draining away, leaving nothing but the desire to make another. It was like a drug, it left him craving for more, but it made him wonder if that was a bad thing or not.

But then he remembered that he still had to complete the deal. "T̶̢̞͙̖ͩ̌H͈̮̲̠̽̑̓̈́̊̓ͫ͘I̫͙̼̯̰͉͍͚ͦ͗ͦͮ̈́̆͜S̨̫̺͚͛́̚ ̍̽͗ͫ̃̚҉̝͈̻̙̲̣̺Ṃ̵͖̜̩͍̬͙ͭͤ̄̓ͬ̕͢Ȋ̞͉̳̫͊̚͝G̮̰̬̯̠͕ͨ̽̓ͮͧͥ̓̌H͓̤̗̭ͥ̔̾͆̈́̍ͭ̄̊T̬͉͇̳̣͔̖͔͗͆̏͟ ̇ͥͯ͐̌҉̨̘͙Ḩ̘̖̞̬̻ͨͩ̈́͌̄́͟Ŭ̳̏͆͌͌ͭͤ͛͘R̳̩̰̻̗̼͙̩͂ͮ̍̿T̜͎̫͕͈́ͫ͠.̸̲̭̤̬̥͓̭̮̦̽̀ͧ̿.͉͙̱̲ͪ̕͢͡.̶̶̛̫̯̯̲͓̗ͭ̌́̓ ̗͖̝͊̏͌ͦ́ͅA̙͇̗̣͈͈̩͕͌ͩ̀͌̽̓ͪ͜ ̵̸̯͓̯̳͈͙̠̬͍ͫ̃͢L̶̦̬̳ͤ̅̈́͗͘O͖̅͋͐͐̎͒̌̾͢͠T̫̮̘̙̏͒̐̐ͪ́͠.̢̡̱̩̟ͧ̋̕" He said quite flatly, before spreading his still burning hand wide, causing all of the Society's members to become enveloped with blue flame, leading to them all starting to scream.

Dipper just rolled his eyes, it was obvious it wasn't hurting _that_ much. They were probably just screaming from the shock of it. But it was going to hurt, his method of taking a person's memories was obviously tattered and more like ripping them away than just 'taking' them. But then again, he didn't exactly know how to do it, it was all his powers working for him.

He took and destroyed the memories that he ripped from each of the members, but when he got to the leader, he was having trouble. Most, if not all, of Ivan's memories involved something to do with the society, so he just gave a shrug and ripped them all away. What did he care if this man had amnesia forever?

After that, he put up a block in each of their minds, so that short term memory loss would plague them if they ever saw something supernatural again. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best that he could do, and it was enough to make for his part of the deal.

The flames left them, leaving all of the men dazed and not fully aware of their surroundings. So using this minute of cluelessness, Dipper quickly clicked his fingers and made them all fall asleep. Perfect, now all he had to do was go to the place where they kept all the memories and release all the memories back to the people they'd been taken from. But speaking of releasing…

He quickly walked over to Mabel and burned the ropes that surrounded her to ashes, before her fist came colliding with his face. Well… that was a rude thank you.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

You seem to be quite clueless. You plan to use your weapon of memory destruction on a child which happens to belong to me.

You say it was just her memories of this encounter, yet you were going to erase the whole of her summer.

You forget that she would forget me, who she has only belonged to for this summer. So you are trying to relinquish my ownership of her?

You believe a simple protection spell would keep out me, Alcor, the most powerful demon there is?! You dare to tell me that you thought of me as weak!?

I should snap your neck right now for that insult.

But… Instead I'm willing to offer you a deal.

I'm willing to let you all go free, as long as you stop this annoying display of authority with your stupid little club. You can't exactly make deals with everyone if none of them even remember you exist. You give me back my belonging and I'll take care of your base down here, returning all of the memories you stole.

In return, I'll take your memories of all that you ever did as the 'Society of the Blind Eye' and you can live without ever having to worry about helping the people of this fair town. I'll make it so you'll forever be blocked from the supernatural, so whenever or if ever you see anything out of the ordinary, you'll forget about it as soon as you stop seeing it.

Oh, and if you don't take this deal, I'll just kill you. So it would be wise to take it.

Deal?

This might hurt… a lot.

* * *

What's this above me? This is a demonic translation. A couple of you have said how it's hard to read the Zalgo text sometimes, and I have to admit it's true, especially in a big paragraph like there are in this chapter. I'm going to be going back in the chapters and updating them so that any with Zalgo text will have a demonic translation at the end of them, so that the inability to read impossibly scrambled text isn't an issue. ;)

So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, don't forget to give me a review and show me what you liked? ;) Also, who's excited for the new episode tonight? I certainly am! Well, I can't watch it tonight, sadly. Since I'm in the UK, so I'll have to wait till it comes on the internet tomorrow to watch it. But I'll be with you in spirit when you watch it tonight. Bill… And Dipper… And Ford… My three favourite characters in the same episode! This is a dream come true! :D


	18. Chapter 17 Ignoring The Truth

Okay, now I just need to warn you that this chapter might be one of the most terrible ones I've done for this story, mostly because it'll just be a filler chapter so it can lead on to the next few, and also because I have literally no idea how I'm going to write this chapter. Normally, I'll have at least some idea what I'd write for a chapter, for this one? Nope. So... Let's just see what comes out of my head. Also, I watched The Last Mabelcorn, and it's made me do some serious wonderings about where I'll be going with this story, but I'll take more about that at the end.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 _Ignoring The Truth_

* * *

That one solid punch was able to knock Dipper to the floor, but he'd fallen from shock, rather than page. It made him wonder if he was more resistant to pain in this form, it actually kind of... tickled. _Wow... Pain is hilarious!_ That thought disturbed him, it seemed like it was something that Bill might say.

His anger flared, and before he could stop himself, he was rising back up to his feet like lightning and grabbed hold of Mabel's wrist, pulling her off her feet. "W̢̭͂͌͑̊H̶̗A̼̦̰̎͑ͣ͋ͬͪ͑T̛̩͚̰̫̙͈͌̅̉ͤ̿̑͒ ̣̫̉ͦ̍̏ͤT̟̳̠̹̽͋̄̽H͕̰̞͡E̠̯ͤͨ ͍̲̳̞̯ͥ́͂ͅH̟ͩ̂͆ͤ͑E͔̗̩̠͓͚̘̓̊ͤ̌̎͗L̴͉̗̉̊L̸̟̂!̰͇̞̗ͨ̀̂̃?͗ͮ͊̍̏͏̫͙̰̻ ̣̦̂̌̈́͋̔̿̅I̷͔͈̬ͨͤ̌͋ͩ ̂̋ͮͫ̇̽J̸U̡͖̪̦̥̫̳̥ͯͧ̋ͣͯͭ͗S̨͓͔͊̄͊ͥ̉Tͮ͌ͫͭ͟ ̲̭̣̅̈̅ͯͧͮS͔̺̯̦A̧̳͖͉̩̤̝͓͊ͨͦV͎͕̤̦̯̰̈E̶͉̣̰͂ͮͫ̄̇D̷͔̪͙͗ͣͬͯ ̒̑̓̔҉̪Y̡ͭ͂̚Ǫ͈̘͓̩̼̼̑ͨ͆ͩ̐̃U̘̪̙̱̥͛ͦͮͥ̇ͬ̿R̐ͨ̓̃͡ ̧̪̥͍͖͚̳ͩ̄͒ͅM͏̼̭̥̗̜̮E̝̗̩̖͎̦͛̌͒̉̉ͅM̴̞̗̳̓̂͆̀͋̂ͦO͕͎͌ͧ̈R̹̿ͥ̔̈́ͫ̃Ȉ͇͕͓͓̩̙̍Ē̦̤͉̝̈́̌S̺͎̲̯͓̬̎̃͗.͉͍̻̥̭̾ͬͤ̃́̂̇.̐͆̂̄̕.̫̯̠̩̝̔̇̋́̀ͅ ̥͙̟ͯ͊͑̆̈͗ͤÁ̡̗̙̘̫̻͔͓̉ͯͩ͂ͤ̚N̰ͫ͆D̺͍̙͆̅ͭͫ̑͋͘ ̧̞ͦ̅Y͡O̗ͬ̍Ȗ̜̠͕͍̓̂͌ ̙̱̭͔͛̀P̝̠͈̋ͨ̋U̼ͤ͛̇ͧ͞N̼͙͍͌ͫ͒͘ͅC̫͈͔̝̭̗̒H̩͙͙̤̱̼̐̿̑ ̱̝̟̣̖̩͐̔͡M̫ͭ͂͛ͧͮ͡ͅȆ͈̼͍̱̙͍͌ͥ̎?̗̟ͦ͒ͮͨ̃!͎̯̰̓͂̑ͮͪͥͭ͠ͅͅ" That obviously made her breathing hitch for a second, but she soon regained her regular confidence.

"Stop it Dipper, I know it's you right now so stop trying to be all scary!" For one of the rare times in her life, she looked angry. Her face was flushed and red and she was gritting her teeth to try and calm herself down. "What the hell was that, huh? Why are you acting like Bill? Why aren't you acting like my brother anymore!"

Dipper froze. Was he really attacking like Bill right now? He... He had just made a deal... And he hadn't exactly been too friendly about it, angry even... Like Bill was sometimes. He instantly dropped Mabel, whatever anger he'd had towards her was gone. "I̸̶͠.͢͏̀҉͞.͟͡͞͝ ̡̧̡̀I̶͞'̴͏͏m̕͟͞҉ ̨̛͟s̷͘͜͝͞ơ̕r̢͜r̛͜͞͞y̡͢.̢̕ ͘͘B̶̶́ù͠͡t͘͘͞ ̴̴̴̀͞w̴̕͝e҉̢̢͝ ̡͝c̵̛͜͜a̶̧̛͘n͞'̧̧̕t̷̸̢͜͠ ̡̢̡̛̀t͏̵̛͡͠a͡͏̢l̢̨̨̢k̶͢͞͡ ͘͜҉̸̢n̸̨͘͝͠o̶̴̕͢w̧҉́͢.́͠҉ ̵̸̧̛͘Ņ͘o͏̷̧̧͘w͡҉̀͘ ̨̀͞͡͞I҉̶̴̡͞ ͏̀n̶͝e̵̢̕͢͡e͘҉̕͞ḑ̶́͢͝ ̷̸̢͘͟t͝͏ǫ̶̛͠ ̨̕͡͠f͟҉i̧͟͡ń̴i̵̶҉̸ş̵̷͠h̷͟͡ ̛͡҉t̕͟h̶̨é҉̶͏͠ ͞͠ḑ̷͢͝͡e͏̵á͡l̷̡͟͡.͏̀͝"He'd quieted his voice slightly, so it wasn't like he was screaming all the time, but you could still here the unholy echoing of it.

He started to walk in the direction away from her, to where he'd seen Lazy Susan's memory, to the Hall of the Forgotten. That would be where they kept all the other memories, right? But Mabel was still angry, so she trampled after him. "Don't think you're getting out of this that easily. It's you, so why are you in that scary demon form where you went all crazy, and why aren't you going crazy right now? And why the hell did you make a deal!? Bill does that, not you! You could have just scared them off or something and gotten me free... I don't know, but you shouldn't have made a deal. I don't want you becoming like Bill. Like that... monster."

Dipper tried his best to ignore her, his best to deny what she was saying. But what she was saying made him question himself. She was right, why didn't he just scare them off. Why was he so intended on making a deal. True, he was going to kill them first, which freaked him out slightly, but it worried him even more that his second option was to make a deal. _Mabel's not right... is she? Am I becoming like Bill...? I do still have a feeling... Oh no... Am I thinking up potential deals right now?_ Dipper forced himself to stop thinking about it and carry on walking... or floating. He didn't really know what he was doing right now, he kept switching between the two.

He got to the Hall of the Forgotten and sure enough, the place was filled with memory tubes. All from different people... He could almost feel all the experiences that the people he'd gone through, interesting... he stepped into the middle of the room and looked round to see Mabel stepping after him, still mad and still waiting for an answer that she wasn't going to be getting any time soon. "I̶̛ ̶͟ś̸̨u̵͡g̷͟g̸̡͟ȩ̧͟s͟͠҉̛ţ͏ ̀͢y͘͏̶̛͝ǫ̨ừ͠ ̷́̀͢͟ś̷̶t̨͡a̷̵͘͠y̸̡͢͟ ҉̸̢͟b̷̢̨͞á́͘͟͟c̵͏̴̕͟k̕͢,̢̀͜͝ ̸́͢͡i̴̛t҉́̕̕'̷̶̷̛̀ş̶́́͢ ̴̴̀a̛͏̨̕͝b̧͢͠͞ơ̶̴u̴̢̕ţ̧̀͠ ͟͟t̶̢̧͝ǫ̛̛͜ ҉̢̛͞g̸̴̢͘e͡͠t̡̧ ̛ą́ ̢̛b̸̀̕i̶͜҉͡t̴́͟ ̕҉ḑ̛ą̶҉n̷̶̢͘g̸͜è̴r҉̴̛ơ̢͘u̵͢͜͜s̷̷.̷̴̢̧͘"

She just glared at him. "You haven't answered my question yet... or questions! I'm not doing anything you tell me to until you tell me what's going on!"

But then he clicked his fingers and summoned his bright blue flame in both hands, and she immediately stepped back out of the room, realising that she sound probably stay on the outside for a little while, especially whenever a blue flame was involved.

Dipper watched her back away, almost smiling because that no matter how stubborn she was, she knew when to be smart.

He made sure Mabel had stepped completely out of the room before his hands become engulfed by his flame. It was glorious, he hadn't had a chance to actually look at it before in this demonic form, _really_ look at it. They were obviously still the same bright beautiful that they always were, but he could almost feel the pure power that eminated from that fire. The feeling was intoxicating, it made him want to stay like this forever.

But he was soon jolted back to reality. _No, I can't keep this going... But that power... No, Dipper, snap out of it! You don't need to keep this going, you don't want to keep this going. All you need to do is finish this deal and then this will be over and you can let all this power go._

However there was more that made him want to stay like this. The fact that he knew, that once he turned back, his physical form would be lost and he'd be stuck in the Mindscape again. The only thing that was keeping him like this was the simple fact that the power he gained from his form was allowing him to stay physical for longer, he'd already been like this for longer than he had been last time. _I don't want to go back... It's so lonely there, even if I can still talk to Mabel... But if I stay like this... will I ever be able to retain my humanity?_

This demonic form wasn't good for him, that much he could tell. Even with all that power, it was still a risk. Retaining this form was just sapping away at his humanity, and that terrified him. He knew that the longer he stayed like this, the more he started to think less like Dipper, and more like Bill. It made him wonder if he'd gotten more than just power from that triangle.

He tried to silence his thoughts, he still had work to do. He needed to free these memories before he lost the chance.

With a simple wave of his hand, the whole room became alight with that unholy warmth, every memory tube burning, burning to nothingness. He felt himself smile at it, he didn't know why, but he soon felt something more than a smile. And he started to laugh.

It was a laugh you'd make after hearing a joke, or even a awkward laugh. It was the laugh you'd hear from someone not quite right in the head. A laugh that could only be described as psychotic. Dipper thought for a minute as he watched the flames burn away the containers before burning the memories themselves. _Does that make me psychotic? I wouldn't be surprised, what's a demon if he isn't insane?_ His face fell flat, the laughter being cut short as he tried to ignore the fact that he'd actually thought of himself as unstable. So he tried to carry on with the task at hand instead, causing the last of the memories within the tubes to burn and become a strange blue smoke in the air... That was new.

He spread his hands out, causing the fire to disperse, including what was still burning on his hands. The smoke was dispersing to, drifting up and practically seeping through the ceiling. It was done, now all he had to do was-

"What did you just do!?"

Dipper glanced round at Mabel, was she still mad about this? But he gave her a reply anyway. "A̡l̸͠l̴̛̕͢͝ ͢͜͝I̸͘͜ ̕d̨̢̕҉i̷͠d̀͡͠͠ ̕͟͠͏w̧̛͢á͏̡҉s̸̢͜͟͞ ̵̧͜͝s̡҉e̢͘̕͡͝n̸͘͏d̡ ̴̴̢͝ţ̵͞h͜͠͝e̴̛ ̸͠m̷̛͡ȩ̢͘̕͢m̢͘o͠r̡͝͠i̸͢é̢̕͏s̷̡҉̧͢ ̡̀͘͝b̧̢̧́͜a̶͟͡c̵̴̨͝ḱ̴͟͠ ̶̧́̕͢t̶̢̕͡ǫ́́̕͏ ̸̴̧̢́t̴̴́͢h͏̧e͏̷̛͟í̧̡͟͟r̕͜͞ ̧̛͟ò̸̕͞w͘͏҉n̵̸̡͞e̵͢r̴̶s̸̴̕,̶҉̧ ҉͢͢͠ţ̸́h͝͞a͞t͞҉'̧̧͜͠s̸̡̀͟ ͏҉͘҉͞a̶͜l̀͏҉̴͘ļ̶́͟͞.̛̕͜͞ ̸̶̕͟E̷͡v̵è͏̴̡r͏̸̵̨̡y҉͘̕͜ ̛̛͢m̴̶̕͢͠è̡҉m̵̨͡͞o̸̶̢͘͡r̢̛̛͘͝y͏́̕͟͟ ̧҉̶t͘͢h̴͞a̶͘͜͞҉t͘͝ ̕͢͞w̶̢̛͘a͠s̸̀͜ ̸̕t҉̶̡̨á̴̛͝k͝e͏̷n̡͝҉̧͞ ̶̸̨͠w̴̡͝į̸̨l̶l̵͝͞ ̧͘͜͟s͡҉͘ļ͘͞o̴͘͢͞͝w̸͜͟͝͡l̡̡͜ý̷͟͞͞ ̸̕̕͟b́̕e̕͢͠ ̕͟͞҉r̷̢͠ę̢͘g̸̕a̶̴͘͝í̢͘͢͞n̵̛͜͟͜e̸̢̛͡d̶͟ ̀͟͟ó̡̡v҉̀e͞͞r̨̧̨͘ ̵̕͠t̷҉̡̕i̡̛m̶̸̀͞e̴͢͡.̢҉" He was slowly walking out the room, back to the centre before thinking.

Mabel hurried after him. "So what, that's it? Can you tell me what the heck you did this all for now?"

He ignored her, feeling that was be the best thing to do right now. Looking into the centre of the room, he noticed that the society members were still asleep. _Ah yes, them._ Dipper had kind of forgotten about them. _I could just leave them here... Right? No harm done... to me and Mabel anyway._

 _"_ Í̴̕͢͝'͟҉̡̨m̶̛̕͘͞ ̴҉͡g̴̀o͟͝ì̶̢͜͝n҉́g̸̶͜ ̢̢̕͡t͠͝͝ó̴ ̨̀̕͟͡s̨̀͘̕͠ę̴͘͠á͢͝l̶̵̨ ̢̛͘͘ú͢͞p̷͟ ̸̨͟t̨͏҉h̕҉̵͜e̷̴ ̶̶̶͢e͏͠n̡͏̡̡t̢͟͢͡͝r̵a̴̵̡͜n҉͢c̶̨e҉̀͘͡ ̷̨͘s͏̢͜͜͠o͟͏ ́́͢͠n͏̶͢͟o̷̢̧͠ ̸̡̀͘o̴ǹ̛͢͠e̡͢ ̵͡e̡̡͢͟l̴̸̶̨͟ś̢̡̀͞e̛̕͞ ̸̶̸͝c͟҉à̶̴͡͡n̨͘͜ ҉̀́f̶͟͜͠i̸̡̕͜͠n̴̢҉̴d̛̛̀̕͢ ̧͜o̴ų͢͏͞t҉̸́҉ ̷̢̛͘a͏͢b̵̶̶́͠ò̢u̵̵̷͜͠t̢̕͝ ̵̸̶͟t̷̶͜h̛͢͞͏҉i͝͏͏҉ş͏̶̧̕ ̶̢̛́p̛̕̕l҉҉̴̸͏á͜c͏̧e̢̢,̧͝ ̷͞w̢̛̕e̵̴̛͞͏ ̧̨̕͡͞b̛͘͜e̡̨̧t͘͞t̴̷̨͝͝e̵̢̧r̀͠ ̧͢͝g͏̵̷͘͘é͘͜͞ţ̴͏̴́ ̷͜͡g̴̀͘͟҉o̵̡̡͘i̷͡n̶̵͝g̢͠.̶̀͜͡͝"

Glossing over the fact that he had just ignored her question entirely, Mabel looked at the men that were sleeping on the floor. "But what about them?"

Dipper had already started walking for the exit. "W͘͢͡h̶̴͜͢͠à̷̧t̀͢҉̵͟ ̡̧͠͡à̸̢̡͜b̡̧̛o҉̕͡u̕͡t̴̶̸̛ ̴̢͟t̸̶͡h͟҉͡e͢͏m̴̴?̶̴̢͘"

"You know what! We can't just leave them down here, we need to take them with us."

He turned round, his burning yellow eyes locking on with hers. "A̷̸̷͠f̶̡t̡̀͜͞ȩ͢r͏̴͏ ̸̕͠͞w̨̕͢h̵̴͠҉a̧̢t͘ ̴̨͘t̸̀͢͠h̨̧͠e̕͜y̧͞҉'̀v̡̨̕͜ȩ̡̛͘͜ ̷̛͟͡͞d̵̶̡͢ơ̸̴̕͢ǹ͏͡e͘͞͞,̴͞͡ ̨͝á̴̛f̛̀͢͢͡t̵̛e̶͘̕r̶͜͠ ̸̸͠w̶̡͠h͝͏̛̕҉a̷͢͢͞͝t̢̀̀͘͠ ̵͘͏̢͘t̀͟͢͡h͝ę͜ỳ̷̴͟ ̴̢̕͜á͠͞ĺ͘͠m̸̶o̶͡͏ş͘͘t́͢ ̷̵̕͟͠d̶̛̕҉i̵͢d͜?̕͢͜ ̶̧̧Į̵̀ ̵̀d̢͟͞o̕͏̵̧ņ̷̸̀͢'̶͝͡t̷ ҉̷t͢͟h̨̨́͝i̸̕͝ǹ̢̕͢k̕͠͠ ̶̡̛͜͞ś̸̀͝ǫ̴̛.̷̧̢͜"

"But I do! Maybe I was wrong and you aren't Dipper right now, cause you're starting to act like a jerk." Mabel crossed her arms and stopped walking. "And I'm not leaving here unless they've coming with us."

He growled at her, actually _growled._ With a click of his fingers, Dipper caused the dreaming men to vanish. "F̸͟͢͢͟ì̵ǹ̨͢͝è̛͠ ̷̀̕͠͡ţ҉h̴̀̀͘͢e͢͠ņ̕͡!̴̴͡҉ ̵̛T̡͘͟h͘e̷͡r̷̴e̵̛,̀́͢ ̴̛͟͞͞ ̸̛͠͝Į͘ ͞j͏͘u͏̡͠s̢͡ţ ́͏t͝è̵̶̵͝ļ̴́̕͜e̵̛̕̕͟ṕ͘͢ór̷̵҉t̶̨͘͡ę̸͢͝͠d͘͘͞͝ ̸̨̀͞t͢͢h̶̨̛͟e͏̸͡m͏̢̛͠͞ ͢͝a̴l̡̡̨͞l҉̶̨͜ ̴͜͏͠u̵̡͞p̧͏̵̢͡ ̸͡t̸͡ơ̕ ̶̧̨͞ţ͡͝͞͏h͝͡e̶̛ ̴͞m̢͟͏͜u̷͢s͝҉͏̕͏e̢u̡͡m̵̀͟͟͡.̴̴̛͘ ̷̸̵̛A̛͠ŕ̡҉͏͢ę̴͘ ́́҉̸̸y̵̵͡o͏͏̕͜ų̴̧ ̢̀̕̕͞g̸̴̸҉̴ó̶̕͢i̧̡n̵̨g̵̶ ̶̕̕t̴̶o̕ ̢̀͟͡c͘͞o͢͠͡m̷̧e̵͜͝ ̷̷̀́͏n̴͢o̴͞w̧͝͏,͘͜͏̕͝ ̸̡̧͞ò̢͘͢ŕ̡͡ ̡̧̕d̡̕͝ò̵̵͞͠ ̸̀͟͝I̸̡͟͡ ̵̨͜͜h̢̕͢͞a̴̵v̶͟e̢̧ ̴́̕̕t̢̛̀҉ó̢͘͝ ̕͘͟͢d̸̢̛͘͠r̷̡͟͜a̵͢ǵ̀͠͞ ̢͜͞y̡̧͏́ờ̶̢͘ù̵͘͠?̡̢́"

Mabel gave him a frown, but started to trudge after him. "Would've been more fun if you dragged me..." She couldn't help but mutter playfully under her breath. _It would be fun to see you try._

* * *

They were going up the stairs when Dipper paused for a second, taking a few to glance at the sigils etched into the stone of the passageway, some part of him told him to remember those swirls, he guessed he'd know why when he regained his humanity. They were getting up to the last step now and closing the door behind them, and sure enough those hooded men were still snoozing, piled on top of each other in the room of eyes.

Before Mabel could ask him anymore questions or yell at him anymore, Dipper turned to the secret doorway and closed his eyes, concentrating. He started to shatter the mechanises that opened the door in the first place, causing to to be unable to be opened by pushing the eye. But just to make sure nobody found a way, he used the rest of his powers to seal the door itself, causing it to become nothing but a wall again, the hidden society beneath would be forgotten, just like they'd caused others to forget.

He turned back round to Mabel, and just as she was about to speak, he held up a hand to silence her, before he gave a sigh and let all that anger drain away. All those feeling that made him want to cry when his mind was his own, all the disturbing thoughts that didn't ever feel like his own, were now... gone. And so was that demonic form.

Dipper looked down at his pink skin, smiling slightly, thankful that it was back to normal, he liked normal. Even if normal was a bit of a stretch for him now. He felt drained, but luckily not as much as he had the times before, maybe it was because he'd had more control over himself. But there was still that feeling at the back of his mind, that he wanted to do it again, to feel that power, that anger that made him feel alive.

He was feeling weightless again, floated was the natural position for him again, so his smile soon turned to a look of sadness as he passed his hand through the wall, no sign of anything solid.

"Okay... Now I can answer you're questions."

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

What the hell!? I just saved your memories... and you punch me?!

I.. I'm sorry. But we can't talk now. Now I need to finish the deal.

I suggest you stay back, it's about to get a bit dangerous.

All I did was send the memories back to their owners, that's all. Every memory that was taken will slowly be regained over time.

I'm going to seal up the entrance so no one else can find out about this place, we better get going.

What about them?

After what they've done, after what they almost did? I don't think so.

Fine then! There, I just teleported them all up to the museum. Are you going to come now, or do I have to drag you?

* * *

This chapter was surprisingly long compared to how I thought it would be... and I still have more filler to fit in. But it seemed like having an overly long chapter mixed in with moderate length ones wouldn't fit right, so the next chapter will be mostly filler as well. However tomorrow is Saturday, so I could probably post two chapters in one day if I wanted to. ;)

Now, down to business. And we have a LOT to talk about and I'd really appreciate if you could take some time to read what I've written and hopefully respond in your review. So I'll just start:

1) After watching the latest episode (The Last Mabelcorn), I'm a bit conflicted. The Nightmare Realm seems like too good of a story line to pass up. But that would mean it would conflict with what I've got going right now. (Mindscape, Dreamscape, etc) So if I were to integrate the Nightmare Realm into this story, it would require me to go back and change what I've already done. For some chapters, most notably Chapter 8, it would require some serious rewriting. Nothing overly story changing, but it would require you to go back and reread a few of the chapters so it doesn't get confusing. I'd like to get you're thoughts on that, so please do tell me if I should rewrite the Nightmare Realm into this story.

2) We're in a community! I'm so happy about this, as you can now find this story in the 'The Best of Pine Tree and Bill Cipher' community, owned by Lorrean. I'd like to personally thank her for adding me to her community, as this will help this story to grow and get more of an audience. (Not that I don't already have tons of people reading this already, it's insane!)

3) This seems like a good segway for me to have a sort of... review chapter. The next chapter I do will most likely be a full author's note, explaining my thoughts on this story so far as a whole, as well as edits, if any, I'll be doing and what to look forward to in the future. I know some of you will probably hate me for posting something that isn't a chapter for once, but I'm fine with a bit of hate. As long as I get to talk about my feelings toward my own writing and junk, I'll be fine and probably up with a chapter the same night to satisfy those who will be screaming at me for posting an author's note.


	19. Author's Note (Lot's of info inside)

So, if you're expecting a chapter... then you're going to be disappointed as I'm not going to be giving you one today... Just kidding! No, I'm not going to leave you hanging on a Saturday without a chapter, so I'll be posting this author's not chapter before hand and then posting the next chapter later on in the day.

Why do I need to write a author's note chapter, I hear you cry? Well, it might just be me, but I'd prefer to write it on it's own, especially when it will probably be longer than one of my normal chapters. So if you don't want to hear me blabber on, then you can keep on waiting for the new chapter, or stay and read what I have to say about what's happened so far, where this story is heading in the future and all the edits I've had to make to comply with the new decisions I've made concerning a certain Nightmare Realm.

So sit back, relax and watch me as I blabber on about stuff, when less then half of it is probably important. Haha ;)

* * *

 ** _The Origin of 'Someone Like Me'_**

* * *

It's quiet simple really, I'd gotten back into Gravity Falls. Back when it first started airing in 2012, I took it to be a nice funny show for me to watch while I relax. Even when I noticed that it was something more and that there were codes to crack, I didn't really bother. I watched it whenever a new episode came on, but really wasn't on to the whole theorising thing, so I guess you could say I hadn't become a complete faller yet, since I wasn't paranoid in the slightest.

Well... That soon changed. The wait for season 2 wasn't nearly as agonising for me than for real fallers, but I was interested to start watching again when the new season started. After 'Into the Bunker'... I was hooked. I become one of the most paranoid people in my town, (and probably the only person who was even a faller.) and I didn't exactly have anyone to talk to about my theories and rants about how amazing the show was.

This probably just sounds like the origin of my Gravity Falls addiction right now, but just hear me out. It started going a lot more haywire after 'Sock Opera'. Let's just say I spent a lot of sleepless nights laughing like an insane person because of that episode. I think I may have a problem. You see, I've always had a rule that I'll only be completely and utterly in love with a show if one of the main characters a) gets turned evil somehow b) has been evil all along or c) gets possessed.

And Dipper get's possessed by the best guy for the job? Yes please! I just have to say I admire Alex for doing that, as this episode could be the spawn of how this story actually began. By that point 'Sock Opera' had become my favourite episode of Gravity Falls, period. And it still is to this day. And what did I want to do to show my love for such an amazing episode? Write a Bipper fanfiction of course! But before I could even get down to coming up with a plot for that, I came across a lovely little Gravity Falls AU called Transcendence.

I see this as the best, by far, of all the Gravity Falls AUs, mostly because of the plot of the whole thing. It has a lot of depth to it, and you can actually tell what happened as certain points in this AU, while other AUs seem to just consist of a bit of fan art. Don't get me wrong, I love myself a bit of Monster Falls and Reverse Pines, but it doesn't really any thickness to it, when compared to Transcendence.

So then I was there stuck with the fact that I wanted to write a story containing Bipper, and a story containing Alcor. So I thought, why not both! Okay, it didn't exactly go down like that, you can't really have two Dipper's in one timeline, right? So instead of doing something straight up like that, I decided I'd write a story that contained Alcor, but it would be a bit different from the Transcendence AU itself, as you can probably tell my now if you like the AU, but I couldn't help but keep Bill there. So instead of straight up killing the insane little triangle, I decided to severally weaken him instead, since he's just too lovable to kill off!

After that I just started writing and... this all sort of... happened. I honestly can't believe people like that story as much as they do, it's got so much following now! As in, more than 70 followers!? That's insane for me! I just want to thank you all for all your support and I'm so glad you all enjoy this story, as I enjoy writing. Now that I've got all this out of the way, let's get onto some of the updates.

* * *

 ** _Chapter Edits_**

* * *

Because I've decided to add in the Nightmare Realm to this story, I've had to go back and edit a few of the chapters. It's nothing major, but I would recommend rereading these chapters, if not having a quick glance over them.

To add the Nightmare Realm to this story, I've decided to swap it with the Dreamscape, so all mentions of the Dreamscape are replaced with the Nightmare Realm.

I've also taken his opportunity too ad a few things that I initially left out by accident in a few of them, so I'll be listing them too.

 **Chapter 1:** Nothing changed honestly, though I did swap out as few mentions of the Dreamscape with the Nightmare Realm.

 **Chapter 3:** I had to redo one of the very last paragraphs, but it doesn't really require you to reread it, if you don't want to.

 **Chapter 6:** Swapped out a mention of Dreamscape, nothing more.

 **Chapter 8:** If you don't want to reread many chapters, this is the one you NEED to reread. It's been changed a lot, though the dialogue is mostly the same.

 **Chapter 9:** Swapped out a few mentions of the Dreamscape, nothing more.

 **Chapter 13:** I updated the dialogue a bit in this chapter, so I recommend rereading it. I also fixed a slip up in the dialogue as I forgot to add in why Dipper is his true name, and why his true name isn't his real name.

 **Chapter 14:** I added a bit more description of Dipper's journal so it's a bit more different from the author's journal.

 **Chapter 15:** Added an author's note explaining the word 'sigil'.

And that's it! Well, I've updated some of the other chapters, but these other updates were just to do with a few grammar errors that I noticed. For the next part... oh yeah! I have a little recommendation for you...

* * *

 ** _Fanfiction Recommendation_**

* * *

I don't normally do this, but I just had to recommend you check out this other story I found a few days ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's called 'Walk The Line', as of course, it's a Gravity Falls fanfic. So here's the description:

 _'Dipper had always felt like the black sheep in the Pine's family. He always felt like they would get along just fine without him - even Mabel, with enough time. Closing his eyes had never felt like such a reprieve from all of it.'_

It is absolutely brilliant, and my story doesn't even begin to compare, so you should really check it out. It's set right after Stanford came out of the portal, and just gets better and better from there.

It involves Bill Cipher, and Deals. So you know it'll be good. I just think this story deserves a shout out since it's one of the best that I've read in a while. Now, onto the next thing...

* * *

 _ **The Future of 'Someone Like Me'**_

* * *

Okay, now I have a lot to talk about here. So I'll have to split it up before it goes all crazy...

 _ **Changing Titles**_

It's obvious that this stories title needs a change, as having the Nightmare Realm involved now really does throw it around, as now that title doesn't match what I originally had planned for this story. It will probably take a while for me to think up a good replacement, but I'll leave this all out there if any of you have any suggestions.

 ** _The Author_**

After 'The Last Mabelcorn', I've decided that Stanford's reaction to Dipper will have to change from my original plan as well, since it wouldn't really comply to his character if he trusted and liked Dipper completely off the bat, so it's going to be an interesting ride. His entrance will still be as planned, don't worry, I'll just have to work around relationship that he and Dipper will have since he's now like Bill.

 ** _The Canon of the Show_**

You know I've been going off a few of the season 2 episodes to continue the story line, well that's going to become a bit different. Once we get pasted 'Not What He Seems'. I will be including Ford's private study from the newest episode, which would be interesting if Dipper could find any information about dream demon's there. (Which he obviously will, duh. Why would I be adding it anyway?) Of course I'll have to add a bit of back story for Stan and Ford from 'A Tale of Two Stans', but I can assure you that it won't be just a copy and past of the transcript. (Which I may... have done for 'Into the Bunker'...) I'll make sure to make the telling of their back story short, because obviously you've all heard it.

But after all of those episodes, it will mostly be just completely my own writing without help from the show, unless it catches up to me and theres something that I just HAVE to add in, which will be unlikely till we get some more stuff about Bill.

 ** _Teenagers_**

Teenagers. Simple as that. This is going to be a LONG story, and I can't have them being lovable little pre-teen selves forever, so in time I will be having a time skip to when they're around 15, 16 years old. But not before we've had a lot of stuff to do with Stanford and Dipper's relationship, Dipper's powers continuing to grow, and a bit about Bill's plan. (Yes, he has a plan, and he hasn't given up on it yet, even in the state he's in.)

After that, the teenage years won't nearly last as long as the amount of chapters I'll do for pre-teens, but it will include possible dialogue between Dipper and Pacifica, and between Dipper and Wendy. I wouldn't have anything straight up romantic, but I'd leave it open since I'd ruin the story if I ever tried to include a relationship. (I'm that bad at relationships, you'd probably have to found the new Society of the Blind Eye just so you could erase it from your memory.)

But honestly, you won't need to worry about a time skip for a long while, we've still got plenty to cover in the present!

 ** _Post Mabel Era_**

When you found out Dipper was immortal, you had to have seen his coming. Mabel won't be with him forever, and this story will include the time after Mabel's eventual deaf and how he goes downhill from there, great right! Haha... that's going to have me in tears when I write it. Especially after watching an animatic for the AU on Youtube. **watch?v=dmgV44FFQVc** Watch it. Watch it and watch the tears roll.

So after... after Mabel dies... this story will involve more interactions between Dipper and Bill, and his downhill spike. It will also include stuff to do with Mabel's descendants, (which I'll really need to read up on, I haven't really paid that much attention to others in the AU like Mabel's triblets and Henry, her husband.) Along with this, theres also the matter of reincarnations...

 _ **Mabel's Reincarnations**_

For as much as I know about the Transcendence AU, it has a lot to do with reincarnation. So when a person dies, there soul goes back into the reincarnation cycle and they become a new person. So I'm toying with the idea that one day Dipper finds one of Mabel's reincarnations and becomes friends with them, or at least keeps and eye on them. Tell me what you think about this.

 _ **Dipper's Death**_

In the VERY far future, Dipper will a reach a sort of... 'God Mode' where he as become so powerful that he can find a way to end his own life and rejoin Mabel in the reincarnation cycle. At this point, I'm guessing this would be the last chapter. Since you can't exactly go on from there, can you?

* * *

Now THAT was a lot to talk about. So I won't be surprised if you've suddenly disappeared and stopped reading this. Haha. So if you have any thoughts or questions about all this, don't hesitate to ask me, I'm all ears. ;) I'll be posting an actual chapter on later today, so look out for that if you didn't feel like reading about me blabber on endlessly.


	20. Chapter 18 Powerful Measures

And here's the chapter I promised you today, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 _Powerful Measures_

* * *

"So, you… you made a deal with Bill?!"

Dipper should have expected that reaction, but then again, maybe he shouldn't of started off with the one big answer. But it was one of the only answers he really had.

"You're making it sound a lot worse than it really is." He sighed, trying to calm her down.

"No, it's just as bad as it was. What the hell, Dip!? I thought you would be smarter than this, you are the smart one after all. Look what a deal with him did last time!" Her cheeks were flushed and her throat was starting to get sore from all the yelling, she'd never felt more mad in her life.

"Don't remind me." Dipper muttered as he floated a bit away from her, closing his eyes for a second to try and clear his thoughts, to stop the anger that kept creeping up. "But this deal was different. He didn't trick me, he couldn't have! It... was just a small deal."

"Who cares if it's a small deal? He's a demon, Dipper. You can't trust them, all they ever do is lie and trick!"

He couldn't help it, his eyes narrowed at that comment. "So you can't trust me. You can't trust a demon, right? All we do is lie and trick."

Mabel's eyes widened when she realised what she had just said. "Dip... I didn't mean..."

"No, you do mean that!" He floated over to her again, the fire starting to flicker in his eyes. "Face the facts Mabel, I'm one of them! I'm a demon, no matter how hard you try to separate me and Bill, we're the same!" Dipper didn't wait for her to answer him, he just continued, clenching his fists. "I made a deal so I could control this power, to stop it from driving me insane. But maybe I'll just go that way anyway, because of all your arguing!"

Mabel's face had drained, she backed away slightly. Wait... was she scared? Dipper noticed the blue at the corner of his eye, and took a few seconds to clear his thoughts, he wasn't going to let that anger fuel him again, and soon the blue of his flames disappeared from his vision. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to pick his next words carefully. Then he opened them again and looked at Mabel with sad eyes. "You think that you can help me with this, but you can't. The only one who even has a chance to help me get the hang of these powers is Bill, who actually _has_ these powers. I'm the only one going through this right now, not you, only me!"

He didn't even noticed the tears that had started to roll down his face, but he could see that she was having the same reaction. Mabel was stepping back towards him, them both look each other deeply in the eyes. "I... I have urges... Horrible urges that I never had before, before... this. I feel like I'm in a living hell everyday, and you're the only one who keeps me sane. With your jokes... and how you always make me smile. Your... the best sister, you know that? The best... But even you can't help me with this, sometimes I need to take the risk. Sometimes it's the only way out."

They were both crying, almost in sink with each other. Any anger that she once had was gone, and she was stepped forward to him, and they were both hugging now, not daring to let the other go. "I... I'm so sorry... I didn't think... I don't think before I talk sometimes. I'm just worried... I... I didn't know you felt like this."

Dipper sniffled, smiling slightly. "I don't tell you everything, stupid."

After a few minutes that weren't as awkward as you'd think they'd be, the twins broke apart, sniffling there noses, eyes almost all the way dried up.

"What... did Bill want in return?" Mabel asked, not sounding angry any more, just curious.

He was hesitant, but Dipper knew that it would just make it worse if he didn't answer her truthfully. "He asked me to do his job for him."

She looked at him in confusing, which he expected. After all, he hadn't understood it at the time anyway. So he tried to explain it for her. "It means I'll be a real dream demon, like him. I'll be getting summoned, and making deals."

Her face fell slightly. "You're not going to leave me on my own... are you?"

"No! Of course not... It probably won't even get started for a long time, I haven't even decided on what my summoning circle would even look like."

"Mabel no like." She murmured, looking unsure about this whole thing.

Dipper put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, really. It's not like I'm going to start acting like Bill all the time... I think the only reason I made the deal back there was because I wasn't in my right mind. That demon form really messes me up, even though I could control it this time. I guess I think a lot like Bill when I'm like that."

"As long as you're okay..." She squeezed him in a hug. "I wouldn't want my brother going to the dark side!"

"Mabel..." He murmured, trying to get her to let go of him. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" He was laughing now, he couldn't help it. How could she always turn a mood round so quickly?

Mabel was giggling, letting go of him finally, before looking round at all the bodies around them, jumping slightly when she saw them before remembering why they were there. "Hmm... What are we going to do with them?"

"I have an idea..." Dipper smiled.

* * *

"Thank you for visiting the history museum for the sweaters of the ages exhibition, hope you come again!" Mabel said with a grin on her face as she lead the confused men out of the museum, it was the best thing Dipper could have thought of to get them to leave, they would probably expect anything as the truth in the state they were in right now.

They all started to walk home, but Ivan was frowning, turning round to her. "I'm sorry, but what's my name? Where am I?"

Dipper bit his lip, remembering that he had taken all his memories, not caring much at the time but now he felt really guilty. But Mabel soon cleared it all up... sort of.

"Your name is Toot-toot McBumbersnazzle. You're a travelling banjo minstrel, with a song in your heart, and funny tattoos on your head." She quickly gave him a banjo that she must had raided from one of the displays, and watched as a smile spread across his face.

He started to sing as he strummed the guitar, walking away.

"Now that's done... Where's McGucket?" Mabel asked Dipper, just now noticed that he wasn't with them.

"He must have bolted when they caught you, I didn't see him anywhere in the museum. Maybe we should check the junk yard, if he's anywhere, it would be there. McGucket has to have gained some of his memory back by now, we could finally find out what he knows!"

Mabel grinned. "Race you!" And she bolted as fast as she could to the dump, Dipper giving her an eye roll as he easily caught up to her, floating quickly through the air.

* * *

McGucket was there, looking quite nervous outside his house, most likely waiting for the Blind Eye to find him. But when he saw Mabel, he sprang up. "You! I thought those hornswagglers had gone and zappered you!"

She ran up to him. "You don't need to worry! We were able to scare them all away, they won't be wiping any more memories in this town! Do you... remember anything?" She asked in a caring manner, but still eager to hear what he had to say.

The old man looked at her in confusing for a second, before he frowned. "Hmm... There was a researcher who was writing up all his finderoos in these journals, and I think I worked for him... An assistant, that's right! But... oh..." He looked down sadly, not wanting to continue.

Mabel didn't try to hurry him. "So you worked for him? And... I guess something happened."

"Something terrible... Only way was to erase away all the bad thoughts."

Dipper's eyes widened. Was he saying... "Mabel, I think he might of founded the society..."

Mabel looked at him, nodding for a second before looking back at the men. "This might be hard for you... but could you tell me anything about who the author was?"

McGucket frowned. "I... It's being to come back... but I need some time. Gosh, I've got some rememberin' to do!" He walked up to Mabel. "After all these years, I finally know who I am. I might have messed up in the past, but now that I know what happened, I can begin to put myself together again." He started to hamboning to her to say thank you.

Mabel smiled, giving him a grin. "I haven't a clue what you just said."

* * *

Mabel and Dipper were both back at the attic now, they both felt exhausted from the whole day. Well, at least Dipper felt exhausted _mentally._

He was floating above his bed, sitting cross legged, thinking about the events of the day. _We didn't find out what I thought we would... But we got something. McGucket wasn't the author, so maybe I shouldn't rely completely on my visions, I guess I must had read it wrong. But he did work with the author, that's something. if we go back to him soon, he's sure to be able to tell us who the author is, and then we'll be able to find him._

Mabel was on her bed, knitting a new sweater for herself in a nice dark blue colour, when she glanced Dipper taking a book out of his vest pocket. "Ohhh! What's that I spy?"

Dipper nearly dropped it, fumbling to keep it steady at her sudden interruption of his thoughts. "It's err..." He took a tight hold of it as he showed it to her. "I guess you could call it my journal. I thought it would be great to start writing my own journal about what's happening with me. I haven't exactly written much yet, but I've got a lot to write about when I have to the time."

"That's so cool... So it's like a dairy?"

"No! It's a journal documenting the effects of being a dream demon."

"That is totally a diary." She giggled, making him glare at her for a second, before he returned his attention to his book.

He made a pen appear in his hands, and soon he was starting to write in it, the words flowing quickly from his mind to the paper. Within the space of half an hour he'd already written about five pages detailing what it was like when he first started to experience his powers. But soon he started to switch his pen to a pencil, and was soon sketching out some symbols. The sigils that had become ingrained in his mind from just a quick glance at them. _I guess demon's have a good memory._

Dipper had filled a page with his notes about them, and a small sketch of the sigils itself. He needed it in the book, just in case. _I might need it in the future, or at least need to improve it. It couldn't restrain me last time, it wouldn't do it the other time either. If I'm going to be able use this sigil in the future, I'll need to improve it to be able to contain me. Who knows what'll happen in the future._

 _Today might have been a warning, I can't take myself lightly. I need to be ready for the worst._

* * *

I'd be with Dipper on this one, you're just a powerful little demon!

I honestly don't have much to say here, other than I thought I'd have this done a bit earlier. but at least it's on the same day! ;) I'll see you for the next update, which will hopefully be sometime during the week.


	21. Chapter 19 Red Warnings

You'll probably notice that is being put up a bit later than usual, I normally post a chapter around Wednesday and about 1 or 2 at the weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday.) But I doubt that will be happening anymore. School's finally caught up with me and I've finally realised that I have to pay attention to my exams and such, especially since I'm getting homework 24/7 now. So there will be at least on upload a week, but I honestly can't promise anymore than that. I hope you understand.

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 _Red Warnings_

* * *

Dipper had watched as Mabel had snoozed to sleep. He'd felt compelled to take a peek inside her mind, wondering what she was dreaming about, but kept having to snap out of it. _Is this what it's like to be a dream demon?_ He'd thought, writing the last of his notes in his journal, stunned that he'd filled more than 15 pages will mindless rantings... He'd decided he'd need to finalise it so whatever wasn't necessary would be taken out.

The young demon was thinking about the days events now, recounting what had happened in his mind. It was so strange, he'd had a good memory, but not _this_ good. It was photographic now, one of few perks he'd found about this whole thing. Maybe it wasn't all bad.

Dipper felt the pull, and he knew it was time to return to the Nightmare Realm. Sighing quietly to himself, he took one last look at his sleeping sister, before giving a simple click of his fingers, and everything around him changed from peacefull colours to that of bright and angry reds.

The fire was still bellowing below him, but why did he even expect it to stop, it had to be a permanent addition to this horrid place he came to each night. The Nightmare Realm. _What a cheerful name... I wonder who came up with it?_ He thought humourlessly, drifting through the air above the flickering flames of the ground as he searched for Bill. He found it strange, almost unnerving that he'd actually started to enjoy the triangles company. But anything was better than just floating around for hours and hour. Besides, the guy was barely even a threat now, all he could do now was annoy him, but give him the occasional help with his powers as well.

He frowned, there wasn't any sight of that yellow shape, but why was he worried? This place was probably infinitely big, Bill had probably got lost or something, no need to worry. _Wait... Why am I worrying in the first place?_

Dipper tried to clear his thoughts, biting his lip but pausing, just as he heard the sound of large beating wings coming near him. Was it behind him? He spun round, not really sure what to expect, but it made him pale slightly anyway.

There was a tall demon hovering behind him. Dipper couldn't help but look at him closely, it was almost fascinating. As a demon, it didn't look anything like Bill, but he hadn't really expected all demons to look like a floating shape anyway. It was humanoid, with tough red skin and huge powerful dragon-like wings that protruded from it's shoulder blades.

Sharp black claws were at it's finger and toe tips, which looked sharp enough to slice Dipper in half with one swipe. He didn't exactly feel comfortable around this demon, especially with those dangerous weapons. It looked quite muscular by human standards, but not extremely buff either, and the only clothes it had on were tattered and torn blue jeans that looked like they were about to tear completely, from the amount of holes in them.

To add to it's demonic look, the thing had long pointed black horns that reached up so tall that they were taller than it's head, which was completely bald. There was sharp pointed white fangs poking out of it's mouth, giving it the look of a vampire, but Dipper could tell that all the rest of it's teeth were sharp as well, after all, all of his were. The creatures ears looked like the most human part of it, with no point to them like Dipper's, which made him wish his ear's didn't look so stupid compared to the demon in front of him. To top of the look, the monster's eyes were a soulless yellow, like snake like eyes for pupils which looked similar to Bill's, but the thing still had the milky whites of the eye, making Dipper want to complain to Bill about why his eyes were like the way they were.

It was floating in the air with the aid of it's wings, it's strong arms crossed as it gave Dipper an unnerving grin. "So... You're the one everyone's been talking about, aren't you?" Dipper felt surprised that it could speak, but he suddenly felt dumb for thinking that. The demon's voice sounded masculine, so Dipper decided it was male, and the accent it spoke with was strange, it sounded like a mix of Russian and American, but with something else thrown in there that he couldn't trace, and it was deep, but sounded strangely young, like that of a teenager when the demon himself looked like a fully grown man.

Dipper was so wrapped up in it, that he nearly forgot to answer him. "I.. I guess I am." He didn't exactly know what else to say.

The demon was chuckling, and Dipper actually noticed two small demon's floating on both sides of him, but he felt compelled to ignore them for now. "That's good. It's great to finally meet you, I've been very curious about our newest demon. My name is Astaroth, and the demon's like to call me the Prince of Hell. I think it gives a certain fear element to it, don't you think?" All Dipper could do was nod, before he quickly continued on. "And these are my companions, Anxiety," He gestured to the purple demon in his right, which reminded Dipper of a gargoyle, but quite thin. ",and Fear." The other one he gestured to on his left was not much different, being only a darker purple and a little plumper than the other. Both demon's gave a strange kind of grunt that didn't fill Dipper with any degree of reassurance to his safety.

"And what would your name be?" Astaroth asked carelessly to the boy, gesturing now to Dipper, which made him panic slightly.

 _What do I say? I can't tell him Dipper can I? But would it be bad to give a demon your true name? What am I saying? Of course it's bad! I don't even now him... I... what do I do..._ He thought quickly, before remembering the name he had told the society. It felt whole, like the only name he could use, and in a calm manner, he said. "Alcor. My name is Alcor the Dreambender."

The red demon gave a calm nod. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Alcor." He thought for a minute. "Dreambender, aye? That sounds like a title a dream demon would come up with, but you don't strike me as one."

Dipper quelled the panic that started to rise before speaking again. "Yes well... I am a dream demon."

Astaroth raised an eyebrow, looking closely at him. "Aren't you a little... three dimensional for a dream demon?" He questioned Dipper for a second, but before he could give him a chance to answer, he shrugged. "Eh, I can't really speak for them, I've only seen a few dream demon's in my time. They're quite rare these days. But I must say your form is quite unusual, I've never seen a demon choose to look so... young."

Dipper tried not to make eye contact with him, but answered the best he could. "Well... I'll be able to surprise the humans... if they underestimate me?" He winced as he spoke, he'd practically made it sound like a question.

He was chuckling now. "Nice, very nice. Good thinking for a demon so young, with that frame of mind, your sure to go far." But then he leaned close. "However, he's a bit of a friendly advice. Stay away from Cipher."

That struck a warning sign inside Dipper's head, but he decided to ignore it. "Wuh... what?"

Astaroth hadn't looked very friendly to begin with, but now he looked even worse. His eyes were narrowed and he was looked straight at Dipper, the demon's at his side hissing quietly in disgust. "You know? Bill Cipher? He's a dream demon too, you know. And rumour has it that you've been hanging around with that disgusting shape.

"I may have been..." But he cut Dipper off.

"That triangle is a weak pathetic speck that nobody, and I mean nobody should be seen or even heard about being around him. What is the point of talking to those who are the weakest here, when you could be getting all the tips on how to get stronger from me, the strongest of all the demons!" Astaroth's voice boomed with effect as he said those last words, making Dipper shuddering slightly. "I don't know what happened, but others have been saying that Bill made a deal where he couldn't provide his end to it, and lost almost all of his power because of it. Thanks to that slip up, now I'm the one on top. And if you need any pointers on how to become like me, all you need to do it ask."

Dipper bit his lip, still trying not to make eye contact. _So the other demons don't know how Bill lost his powers... Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's better if they just think I'm a friend of his... or maybe not even that._ "All he was doing was helping me get started with creating my summoning circle and symbol, that's all." He turned away. "Anyway... I really should be getting back to him, we haven't finished deciding it all yet. I should get going..." He murmured, starting to float away, before a clawed hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him round again, making Dipper gasp in alarm as Astaroth glared at him with pure anger, teeth bared.

"Didn't you even listen to what I said? All Cipher does is lie and trick those that want help, just for his own gain. Besides, he couldn't help you get all that stuff sorted out even if he wanted to. He's the weakest demon here! Even the stupid fools Anxiety and Fear could do better than him!" Dipper couldn't tell if the two demons took offense to that, but if they did, they weren't showing it. "You should be following me! Me and my advice, I'm better than that stupid... ignorant... fragile... shape of a demon! He'd be better off dead a this point, so you shouldn't even be near him!" He was practically roaring at Dipper, causing the poor boy to actually start to cry, even those he didn't want to.

Dipper was closing his eyes. For once, he couldn't find the strength to get angry, he just felt so scared. He wanted to show Astaroth that he wasn't the boss of him, show him the power of his true demon form and make him cower... but he just couldn't. The tears were irritating him, forcing him to keep his eyes open in fractionally. He could feel that the red monster had grabbed hold of him, pulling him up by the shirt. Dipper couldn't tell if he was still roaring at him, he was trying his best to shut out the noise, to try and keep it all away from him. But then he saw a bright yellow light that he recognised, and he cracked his eyes open to a strange kind of relief.

Bill Cipher was floating there to the right of him, eye narrowed and looking straight at Astaroth. Dipper knew, and even Bill knew, that he wouldn't stand a chance in physical combat against Astaroth, not in the state he was in. So all that Bill said was simply. "Care to let go of my apprentice, horns?"

Which just seemed to rile Astaroth up even more.

* * *

A new character has appeared! Yes, I guess this is the first OC I've introduced here now, and if you want a better look at what he looked like, you can check him out at my deviantart page, my names wolfanterror there.

art/Astaroth-561030783

I guess it's an okay drawing, but I'm still learning to draw, and I'm learning in school as well. But if you liked it, I might draw some more pictures in the future for future chapters, but at this point I honestly don't know. And yes, I named Astaroth after one of the demons in demonology. Mostly because I'd never be able to come up with a decent demon name on my own.

I hope you liked this chapter, truly. And I hope you like my new OC, why don't you tell me what you think of him? And I wonder if he has a bit of history with Bill...? We'll see in the next chapter. Which might actually be tomorrow, since I've been thinking about these chapters all week in school so I'll be able to get them written quite quickly, so hopefully tomorrow there will be another chapter, but I'm not sure.


	22. Chapter 20 Demon Confrontations

Sadly I wasn't able to get a chapter out last Saturday, so I apologise for getting your hopes up if that was so. It's certain now that I'll only be able to get a chapter out a week, since now that I have to get studying for my mocks in a few weeks, and then I've got coursework... Eh. Anyway, lets get going with this thing :)

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 _Demon Confrontations_

* * *

Cipher was floating there, as smug as ever, even with the imminent threat of attack from a demon that was certainly able to cause a lot of harm to him. "What's the matter? Got a nacho stuck in your throat?" He said, not letting his voice waver, even if he was feeling fear at that time. Dipper couldn't tell either way.

Astaroth's eyes were blazing with a kind of hatred that humans would only dream of, one that extended beyond the psychopathic tendencies of a serial killer. But even with that riling inside of him, he managed to keep a calm face, speaking without fault. "You are brave to show your face around me, Cipher. So your saying that this child is yours? That extends beyond the rumors I've heard."

"Do you think I let every bit of information slip? It's a lot more fun if you find out when it's me to tell you."

Dipper could feel it, even as he fought back the water in his eyes, these two had history together. Some kind that he couldn't begin to know. He was beginning to open his eyes fully again, noticing that Bill and Astaroth had basically began having a staring contest. No words were shared for the longest of moments, before Astaroth looked away from Bill and at Dipper. "Are you really that foolish, boy? If you wanted to learn from any of us, the worst one for the job is Mr Angles, here. Do you know how many deals he's made? And how many of them have backfired? More than anyone else, for both answers."

The red devil looked back over to the triangle. "Have you told little Alcor your secrets yet, Cipher? I bet you haven't told him what you've done in the past." He got no response, as to be expected.

Looking back at Dipper now, he continued. "You see? Secrets shouldn't be kept between master and apprentice, should they? You picked the wrong teacher, young demon. All of us hated him even before the incident if last week, he was just too powerful for us to teach him a lesson. But now? Now that he has nothing, we can get our revenge on what he did thousands of years ago." A pause, and then. "You don't know anything about this world, you're clueless and stupid for thinking this guy is the right teacher! If anyone should teach you it's me, me me me!"

Dipper didn't know how to respond. He knew that Bill had to have secrets, but why should he care? He was never going to trust him fully, or even a lot, not after he was the reason Dipper's life started going to hell. But it still bugged him. _Is Astaroth just lying... Or is it true, could Bill have done something so horrible that even the demons hate him for it? It's completely possible, I've seen that he can be a psychopath, it's not implausible that something that terrible is possible. But I shouldn't get hung up on this, not for now anyway. I made a deal with Bill, and I should at least honour it by staying with him._

"I... I don't think I'll be giving up on my teacher, thank you very much." Dipper murmured, the last strands of his fear leaving him. "I'm quite happy with Bill, and I don't think I'd be any better off with you or anyone else." Regret, that was not a good move to play with a demon like Astaroth.

Disbelief as he heard the undeniable shattering of bone, and he found himself screaming in alarm and pain. Astaroth had let go of him, but in the process, snapped his upper left arm in half, breaking the bone firmly in two. Pain was bursting behind his eyes, was it even possible for a demon to feel this much agony? He was moaning, crumbling to his knees as he clutched horribly bent back arm, devoting all of his energy to staying afloat between Astaroth and Bill.

The red demon was looking down at him in disgust now, anger becoming more and more evident in each word, he was losing his cool. "Look at this pathetic wretch, he can't even manage pain properly! A broken arm to a demon shouldn't even effect them at all, the pain should be minimal, if any. What have you been teaching this boy, how to fail at being even a lower class demon?"

Bill only narrowed his eyes. _It's obvious why Pine Tree reacted in this way, his body is still adjusting to being that of a demon. Pain will still effect him as though he was still human, for a time at least, it'll soon pass as he adjusts. But that horned fool is getting on my nerves, but what could I do? I have no strength, no power, all I have is my mind._ For once in his life, Bill was stuck, but he wasn't going to make it evident that he was. "Do you expect much, flappy? He's only a week old, nothing more. I don't remember you being cool to pain when you first came into being... What was that?... I think I remember you crying like a baby when you first got injured, and I wasn't even that much older than you at that point."

A snarl came from Astaroth, but it was stifled, he was finally realizing that Bill was just trying to annoy him. He took a glance at Dipper, who was still curled up, tears streaming down his face as he tried to ignore the pain.

Dipper had never felt such pain before, he'd never broken a bone in his life. Which actually kind of surprised him, especially with the fact that he was so reckless. Sure he'd sprained an ankle once, and he'd fallen over more times than he could remember, but nothing like this. He dared not to look at his arm. It was bent back at an impossible ankle, with the bone threatening to poke through the skin. Dipper couldn't even move his fingers, the whole of his arm was filled with pain, now it just dangled loosely.

Astaroth wasn't looking at him anymore, he was looking back Cipher, it looked as if he was thinking, then. "Keep him, it's not like I care. Little Alcor is a weakling anyway, you're perfect for each other. Either way, this won't effect me. He'll either realise that you're useless and come to me, or you too can stay together and live a meaningless and pointless existence that won't bother me in a slightest." He smiled. "It will be interesting to see which one he picks." After that, he gave a short sour glare to Bill, before he began to fly off in the other direction, quickly followed by his small companions.

All Bill did was watch him go, before slowly floating over to Dipper. "Hey kid, are you alright?" He said simple, but when the boy looked up at him with an extremely pained experession, he rolled his eye. "Yeah yeah, I get it." He grabbed hold of the boys broken arm before he could protest, and harshly bent it back into place, causing Dipper to unleash another short series of screams, causing another eye roll from Bill.

"Relax kid, the pain should probably stop soon."

Dipper wanted to punch him, to ask him what the hell he'd done that before, but he was too stunned. Especially as his arm began to heal right before his eyes. "How..."

"Demon's have amazing healing abilities, all you had to do was bend the arm the right way and bingo! It starts to repair itself." The triangle smirked, clicking his fingers just as Dipper's arm finished healing, with no evidence that it had ever been in any distress in the first place.

"Bill... I... Thank you."

Another eye roll. "Don't need to thank me, kid. I'm sure you would have fingered it out on your own without me."

Dipper flexed his fingers, stretching his arm out in disbelief as no pain sparked. _Like it hadn't even happened..._ But there was still something at the back of Dipper's mind. "Bill... Who was that guy? Did you know each other?"

There was a long pause, but when Dipper thought he wasn't going to get an answer, "That was Astaroth. He's hated me long before I lost my power, for reasons I'm not going to tell you at this point in time. But you could say we're rivals as well, both of us competed to be the one on top, and I'd always be the one on top. Especially since dream demons have an easier time making deals then other types of demons."

When Dipper gave him a confused expression, he sighed and explained quickly. "Look kid, dream demons can get into peoples minds and trick them, use their worst fears to our advantages. Other demons? Some of them can only depend on brute strength, Astaroth being one of them." He glanced to the side for a second, to try and regain his train of thought. "Anyway, what I'm getting at is that he's dangerous, and now that he's the strongest around, even more so. I'd suggest sticking by me and finding me as soon as you enter this realm, don't let anyone distract you. If you see him again, don't talk to him, just keep moving and get to me, I can drive him off. And above all, I think it would be best if he keep your creation a secret, and especially you're true name."

He felt like a kid for asking it, but he had to, even if it felt obvious to him. "Why? It's not like a demon can use it against me, they can't summon me."

Bill floated beside him, looking him carefully in the eyes before answering. "Think about it, Pine Tree. It should be obvious. If Astaroth, for example, found out you were once human, and that you're true name was Dipper Pines, what do you think he could do with that? Granted, on the surface it doesn't look like much. But think about it from his perspective. If he comes to hate you, or becomes desperate enough to try and force you join him, he could use your true name to figure out who your human family is. He might go after Mabel, if she's still alive, or maybe her descendants."

"But he wouldn't be able to do anything! I'm the only one who can become physical, right?"

"You really are dumb, aren't you kid? Demon's have cults. I had a lovely one once! Though, I may have taken my popularity the wrong way, and... **may** have ended up taking all of their souls. Anyway! Astaroth has a cult, I know for sure. And it's got quite a few members scattered across the USA. He could send them a message to kidnap them. Ever think of that? And besides, you didn't think being physical was exclusive to you, right?"

Dipper froze slightly. "What..."

"True, you're case is quite unusual, but demons can become physical. For Astaroth's type, they become physical with a summoning, and once the deal is struck, they go back to being like ghosts. Sadly, it's not the case for my kind. I couldn't become physical even if I wanted to. But you... You can become physical whenever you want! That gives you the potential to become a world breaker! That'll create quite a bit of chaos once you get crazy enough!" Bill chuckled manically, watching Dipper attentively.

But the boy reacted quite quickly. "You think I'll ever come to that?"

" _All_ demons come to that. It's part of our nature! A few thousand years and you'll be insane enough to think of destroying the earth for a few kicks. Don't try and deny it, I bet you've been having inhuman thoughts already, come on, I bet you have!"

Dipper hesitated, biting his lip, but didn't speak.

Bill but an arm around the kid, laughing. "Fine, fine. I won't push. But come on, I bet you got up to something exciting today, you always do! Tell me the details, I'd love to see what fun you got up to."

* * *

I hope this was good enough for you ;) Expect another chapter sometime around the weekend. Wow, I really don't have much to say at the end of this chapter, I just hope this was fun for you to read. I pray that you'll stick here to enjoy the next one when that comes out next week.


	23. Chapter 21 Deciding The Style

Time for the next chapter, and so begins the 'Not What He Seems' arc. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 _Deciding The Style_

* * *

Mabel had woken up, hoping to find Dipper waiting for her, but weirdly he hadn't been. She was alone, no sign of her brother in sight. But Mabel hadn't started to worry, he must have just been a bit late. She'd decided to go about the day as normal, which for her wasn't very, and was sure that he'd pop up eventually.

But he hadn't. She was having her lunch now, still no sign of him. She'd asked Grunkle Stan if Dipper had talked to him or something, but all she'd gotten was a grunt and a shrug, he was still a bit weird about this all. Mabel understood that. But where was Dipper?

After eating the last of it, she went up to the attic to play with Waddles, trying to put her mind at ease. _Calm down Mabel, he's fine. Just running a bit late._ However, as she opened the door, her eyes widened. There was a demon floating in her room... Wait, no. That was Dipper. _Why didn't I recognise it him first off?_

She ran into the room, closing the door behind her as she looked at him, there was definitely something different. His clothes were the biggest change, and it kind of scared her.

Right now, he looked like some kind of humanoid Bill. He was wearing a black suit for a start, which was strange of him. As well as a small top hat floating above his head, funny how it wasn't even touching the hair.

But he turned round to look at her when she closed the door, eyes wide with alarm, and quickly, a cloud of blue smoke blew around him, and when it dissipated, he was back to his normal self. Dipper quickly landed himself on the floor. "Mabel! I... I was waiting for you to come up."

But before he could get an answer, Mabel started to break down into a fit of laughter. "You looked so posh!" She was giggling, trying to stop herself before she started to roll around on the floor with laughter. "And that top hat... Ha!"

Dipper's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, he hadn't meant for her to see him like that. "Mabel... Shut up! Bill was just helping me get my style going."

But it just made her laugh more. "Bill gave you those clothes? No wonder! He has no sense of fashion!"

He sighed, rolling his eyes as he stepped towards her. "I'm sorry for being late. I was just a bit... busy." He sat next to her, waiting for her to stop with her explosion of giggles. It took about ten minutes.

But when she had calmed down, Mabel smiled at him. "Busy...? Oh... Where you doing some cool demon stuff?"

Dipper gave her a weird look. _What would she even mean by cool demon stuff?_ "Well, Bill was helping me complete all the stuff I need before I can start making proper deals and such. I guess you could call it a demons version of paperwork."

Mabel yawned. "Boring! Wait, what did you do anyway?"

"Well, I had to come up with my demon name. Since I can't go by Dipper."

"Why not? Is it because it's not scary enough?"

"No... Bill told me that if someone uses a demons true name in a summoning, they'll have control over that demon. No deal required. So I've decided to go by the name Alcor."

"Alcor? More like Albore!" She giggled at her own pun, before remembering something. "Wait... Alcor's the name you used back with the society, isn't it?"

"Yes. I didn't know why but it just fitted. But now I know why, thanks to Bill."

"Huh?"

Dipper sighed as he remembered last night, recalling it to her.

 _"So, you've decided to go with the name Alcor?" Bill asked Dipper curiously._

 _"Well, yeah. I don't know why, but that name just stuck."_

 _Bill chuckled. "You know what's funny? That name is so perfect for you!"_

 _"Wait... Why?"_

 _"Ever looked at the stars in your constellation, kid?"_

 _"You mean the Big Dipper? What's that got to do with this?"_

 _"One of the starts is called Alcor! And you know what's better? It's got a lovely little twin star called Mizar." Bill watched him, crossing his arms. "You should really look more into your stars, Pine Tree. I thought you were smart."_

 _Dipper glared at him. "It doesn't mean I would know all the names of the stars in the constellation!"_

Mabel thought for a second. "Mmmm... Then, if you're going to be Alcor, I'll be Mizar!"

"Mabel, why would you need to change your name?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but it would be cool! Maybe I can be a spy and use it as a code name."

Dipper smiled slightly at her silliness, before continuing.

"And, I obviously need a symbol for my summoning circle, so Bill helped me decide on that."

She grinned. "Let me guess... A pine tree!"

Dipper bit his lip slightly. "Actually... No. But that was what I suggested first."

 _"A pine tree, really?"_

 _Dipper frowned. "What, why? Even you call me by that symbol!"_

 _"Yeah, but it's to obvious. You are Dipper **Pines**. So? Pines, Pine Tree? Are you trying to reveal your true name?"_

 _"Well, what else would you pick?" He glared at the triangle in annoyance._

 _Bill clicked his fingers. "Easy, a star."_

 _"A star." Dipper wasn't impressed._

 _"Yeah! Alcor is the name of a star, so why don't you have a star as you symbol?"_

 _Dipper's eyes widened slightly, he had a point. It did actually make sense._

"So you decided on a star." Mabel noted, getting a nod from Dipper.

"Exactly. It fits better than a pine tree when I think about it."

"Well, pine tree will be my symbol for you, it'll be our special thing." Mabel said, grinning at him.

Dipper couldn't help it, he smiled. "Yeah... Yeah... Our special thing..." He murmured, before snapping out of it and continuing. "Erm... Right, well, along with that, Bill helped me pick out a costume." He clicked his fingers and his clothes changed back to that of before. "It... looks really stupid, doesn't it?"

Mabel looked at him, and realised her laughing before might have upset him. "Dipper, I didn't mean what I said before. It... It actually likes nice on you. I guess the thing just surprised me. I think it's the first time I've seen you wear anything smart."

Dipper looked at her, sighing. "Are you sure? It seems a bit... off."

"Well it will, silly! You've been wearing the same thing for practically the whole summer." She giggled.

He thought for a second, hesitating. "Mabel, are you... okay, with all this?"

She looked at him, almost surprised with the sudden change of events, but she answered honestly anyway. "Well, yeah. Of course everything's changed so much over the last week, sometimes it feels like its just a dream. But yeah, I'm okay with this. I know that this whole thing has changed a lot for you, and theres a lot that you can and can't do now. But I know I have to be there for you so you're not all alone through it all."

Dipper smiled, "Thanks, Mabel", he said before they both hugged. After a short hug, Dipper pulled apart, and made his clothes change back to normal.

He looked down for a second, thinking, before looking at her. "What do you think we can do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean with the journal. McGucket probably won't have anything to tell us for a while, and there isn't any other lead to finding the Author."

Mabel put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe that s a good thing. Maybe its good that we don't have anything to do with the journal for once. These days we barely do anything apart from use the journal, maybe we should have a little mindless fun for once."

"But... I doubt that's even possible anymore. I'm not physical anymore. But even with these short bursts of being solid, I doubt they'll be getting anymore frequent. It only happened when I was in danger or stressed. When I told Bill, he thought it might be linked to my emotions, and I doubt I'll be wanting to get myself riled up any time soon."

She sighed, looking down. "I guess you're right... Sorry, I guess I keep forgetting things can't go back to how they used to..." But then she thought for something, and she quickly looked at him again. "Dipper... Can you go into peoples dreams?"

"I... I don't know, I haven't exactly tried. Wouldn't it be a bit rude?"

"Nah! Dreams are an open book, no need to feel like that! But, what if you could enter my dreams? Then we could have some fun, and a dreams the best place for it. We'd be able to do anything!" She jumped up, grinning. "What do you say?"

He quickly got up. "Wait... Right now? No, no! I... I don't even know if I could do it. What about tonight? I could try then... I've been in the realm so long, I guess I could stay here until about two in the morning."

Mabel sagged. "Fine... But we'll need to find something to do right now. How about... a race! And no floating, that's cheating. We race to the totem pole." She readied herself, not waiting to see if he was okay with it or not.

"Mabel... You know I'm not good at-"

"And GO!" She bolted out of the room and started down the stairs.

Dipper groaned, before running after her, making sure to abide by her rule, concentrating on keeping his feet touching the floor at all times, even when a headache started at the back of his head.

Mabel was running quickly, skipping past the living room, and through the kitchen, and finally the gift shop before bursting out the front door. She took the chance to glance behind her to see just how far behind Dipper was. Not very actually, but he was no where near as fast as when he floated. She laughed, almost to the totem pole now, and Dipper was just now running out the front door.

* * *

Dipper appreciated floating now, he really did. Now that he had to rely on his own legs for this race, he realised how slow he really was in comparison. He would have easily beaten Mabel if he'd floated to the totem. But his legs were just so... slow. He didn't get any fatigue from running for a long period of time, but he couldn't run any faster than normal either. And that headache that was spreading from the back of his head didn't help.

* * *

Mabel stopped at the totem, giggling and jumping up and down. "Winner! Winner! Winner!" Before she stopped to catch her breath, waiting for Dipper to reach her, which he did after another minute.

Dipper stopped, skidding to a halt as his legs stopped in their movement. "You know I'm not as fast as you."

"But it got you doing something, didn't it?" She grinned.

He looked at her, before he started to laugh, Mabel joining in soon after. But soon their enjoyment was cut short, as whatever headache Dipper had started to have started getting a lot worse.

* * *

Dipper felt dizzy, and there was an enormous pain in his head. He put a hand to his head, trying to get it to stop. The world was swirling, and he was sure Mabel was saying something, but he could barely her anything, a deafening ringing in his ears.

It all came to a head when something burst behind his eyes, and a bank of knowledge overwhelmed him, causing him to topple over onto the floor.

He wasn't aware of the outside world anymore, everything seemed to just swirl into one painful mass of information as he saw some of the past, the present, and the future. Dipper saw pasts that he hadn't ever learnt about in history, and some of the future that he didn't even want see. _Make it stop... I don't want this... I don't want to see!_

He couldn't cope, his brain felt like it was about to explode with the influx of knowledge he was receiving. It was just to much.

And soon, without any anger, his black and yellow form began to overtake him, and he screamed a ear piercing scream.

* * *

Well, lets get this party started! I'm getting this chapter done quick today, since I have to get revising for my mock exams next week. Wish me luck!


	24. Chapter 22 The Deepest Fear

I like I did okay in the exams, kinda. Eh, it doesn't matter much since they were just mocks. I'll just need to make sure to do better in the real ones. But then again, I could be wrong about my scores, I haven't even gotten the results yet. And I think I was stressed wayyyy out. I had to stay off school on Monday because I'd been throwing up all the night before... Not pretty. Anyway, I'm all better and ready to give you the next chapter. I can already tell you love me because of your reaction to the cliffhanger next time. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

 _The Deepest Fear_

* * *

Dipper couldn't understand what was happening. Was this normal for demons? _Is this torment for all of them, or is this hell just for me?_

He wanted it all to stop. He was seeing too much information at once, he was barely able to even comprehend what he was seeing in this eruption of knowledge. No human could cope with seeing it all, and even if he wasn't anymore, his mind was still adjusting to that fact.

* * *

Everything was clouded and dark, he wasn't aware of if he was seeing the real world, or if it was all in his head. but Dipper didn't care either way, as all he could care about right now was the pain. There was a million voices in his head and he couldn't figure out how to sort them. But even so, some of the information was starting to get through.

 _He saw the universe as it was just forming, gases pulling together to create stars, bits of dust coming together to create planets. Dipper saw the Earth and the many other planets starting to form, saw how unrecognisable the Earth was to how it was today._

 _He watched in fast forward as the planet changed, not by chance, but accidently by some higher up beings that his mind couldn't process. Some that were even more powerful than demons._

 _All huge events in the history of the Earth were somehow caused or connected to something supernatural, even the extinctions that kept plaguing the planet._

* * *

He almost forgot the incredible pain he was in as his brain started to sort through and make sense of the knowledge he was receiving, but he was soon snapped back into it as a fluctuation of new information hit him, causing his mind to break into pieces again.

But he could sense something near him, trying to get to him. He couldn't see it, or even be sure it was even really there, or if he was just hallucinating. But he didn't care, he was dealing with too much, he couldn't have something else trying to get him as well.

He swatted at it, trying to get whatever it was to go away. Dipper clawed at it in a mixture of fear and pain, hoping he could do something to get whatever it was to leave him alone. And luckily it soon stopped and the presence disappeared.

Soon the pain was all he could focus on now, and more knowledge was sorted. He was starting to fear this chain was going to go on forever and ever.

* * *

 _He watched human civilisations grow and change, and saw how the belief in God's and higher beings changed with them. And he saw how all of them were wrong._

 _Dipper saw how there was no god that created humans for divine intentions, it was all just tricks and schemes made by creatures like demons. Everything had happened by accident, not by choice._

 _He saw knowledge about the unknown that he doubted even the Author would know, about the origins of the supernatural itself, how everything had originated in the Nightmare Realm, or some place like that._

 _The birth and destructions of different civilisations became clear to him, either directly because of the supernatural, or in some way started because of it. It was all connected so clearly._

* * *

It was back again, the presence, and his mind immediately focused on it. Causing him to lash out at it again, clawing and biting at it to go away and leave him in his torment. He never felt any of his attacks touch the creature, but he was sure that it had to have some effect, as Dipper soon felt the presence depart again.

 _What is this... Why is it trying to torment me? Aren't I suffering enough?_

He just wanted it to end, wanted the unbearable pain to stop. His head felt like he was going to crack open, and he started to pray that it would, so it could relieve him of this agony.

 _Leave me alone... I don't want to know this, I don't want to see... I just want to be normal... I'm not all knowing, I'm just a kid! I just want to stay that way... Is that too much to ask?_

It was back again, that thing. He barely had the willpower to do anything by himself, so he just shut it all out, and let the full fury of his nature get the presence to go away.

But by the time he finished attacking, whatever pain he was feeling was gone. Whatever knowledge that had overwhelmed him was receding to the back of his mind. It was still fresh in his mind, but it wasn't an eruption of knowledge anymore... It was just, there.

Dipper's surroundings were becoming clear, he was sure he had to be in the real world now. He could feel the... heat? His eyes widened as the fogginess in his vision faded, and it sharpened to its normal range, and he saw the carnage he'd caused.

The totem pole was alight with intense blue flames, and so were some of the trees surrounding the area. Almost all of the grass around him was charred and burned, nothing but ash.

The surrounds weren't what caused his alarm, it was what had happened to Mabel. What _he'd_ done to her.

She was on the floor, barely conscious because of the wounds she had. Scratches cut into her body, some deep enough to break the skin and draw blood, but luckily not as many as he feared. He was sure he must have bitten her, because there was a deep bleeding bite mark on Mabel's elbow.

She looked like she'd broken her ankle because of her fall, which must have been hard because of the severity of his attacks. And she hadn't been spared from the flames that surrounded them, some harsh burns were evident on parts of her skin.

* * *

Dipper was trembling... He'd done this?

Almost just to confirm, he lifted up his trembling hands and could feel the blood drain from his face as he noted the blood dripping from his fingertips. From when he'd clawed at her. He tasted blood in his mouth that wasn't his own. From when he'd bitten her.

 _Oh my... She was... what I attacked. I bet... I bet she was just trying to help me... Mabel was that presence that he hurt... I... I... attacked her..._

His world was coming crashing down. It felt even worse than with the flood of knowledge. It was hurting him, deeply in what he hoped was his soul. The fact that he'd physically hurt his own sister. The one that he'd relied on to get him out of harms way at school, especially from all the bullying.

Dipper had felt it, he'd betrayed her. The one person that helped him, the one person that he couldn't do without.

His whole body was shaking at the realisation that some kind of monster hadn't hurt her. It had been none other than Dipper himself. HE was the monster.

Dipper tried to collect himself together long enough to set things right, trying to swallow the fear he had of himself.

As calmly as he could, he commanded his flames to die down, he couldn't risk them hurting Mabel again. They quickly obeyed him, thanks to some of Bill Cipher's lessons, and the blue flickers were destroyed, replaced with the glowing of the sun as it set on the horizon.

He then carefully walked towards his sister, terrified that he'd lose himself again and harm her even more. But he had to get her to safety, the shack wasn't that far away anyway.

"Dipper..." He froze, seeing her looking at him with a weak and pained expression. He gulped down his fear, the hatred he was started to feel for himself as he bent down and carefully lifted her up, carefully not to cause any unnecessary pain, especially when it came to her broken ankle. He knew he wouldn't stay physical for long, he had to move her before it was too late.

"I... I'm so sorry." He managed to say, but he found that his throat was dry and raw from screaming he didn't remember, causing it to crack with every word.

Mabel actually managed a small smile. "Don't be... stupid... silly. It's not... your fault. I... shouldn't have been so stupid."

He was walking to the mystery shake now, tears in his eyes as he carried her. "No. I... I did this to you. This is my fault... You... You were just trying to help me. But I... I wouldn't accept it."

"Don't..." She tried, but couldn't find the strength to speak as she started to float back and forth out of consciousness.

Dipper shook his head as he laid her carefully on the porch. "I... can't be near you any more. I'm... too... dangerous. I could hurt you again... and if that happened... I wouldn't be able to cope."

Mabel was awake again, she opened her mouth to counter his decision, but no sound came out, all energy gone. Her fingers twitched, probably trying to grab hold of him and stop him.

He looked at her sadly, before walking to the door and knocking exactly three times, before letting the rest of his power drain away, and he began to float again. Dipper's eyes were wet as he began to float away from the shack, watching her cry silently for him, before she passed out finally from the pain.

He stayed a way from the shack, watching as Stan lazily opened the door, before his reaction to Mabel. The old man was quickly down on the floor, looking her over before looking around, probably for the culprit or however had knocked, or both. For a second Stan's eyes rested on him, causing Dipper to tense. Could he see him? Before those old eyes left him and he relaxed.

The young demon waited just long enough to make sure Mabel was going to be alright, watching as the man gently picked her up and took her inside, probably about to call 911. Even he had to understand that money had to be spent sometimes.

Dipper smiled a sad smile, satisfied that she was going to be looked after. She was going to be safe without him, everyone was. After all, he wasn't human anymore. How could he have ever hoped to stay with her? _I'm better off leaving everyone alone. I'm just... a danger. I can't be around anyone but my own kind, but the other demons._

But he couldn't even bare going back to that realm yet. _I still have nearly a day here before I have to return._ _I might as well use this time to try and figure everything out. To see what my plan for the future will be._ It made tears spring from his eyes as he started to float into the forest, he wanted to go as deep as he could. _The future... What future can I have now? I betrayed the only person I need._

He heard the sound of sirens in the distance, and it made him smile. Stan had actually called. _She's going to be okay now. It's all going to be fine._ But he couldn't calm himself even with those kind of thoughts. His inside felt messed up, and his mind was in tatters.

Dipper had his eyes closed, letting himself float in any direction. He didn't have a plan on where to go anyway. He just tried to shut himself off from the outside world, from what had just happened and from what he had done. His power was surging inside of him because of the distress he was feeling, but he just didn't care.

There was nothing that could crush him any more than what had already happened. He didn't even care that some of the trees around him were starting to set alight with his blue fire again, his power levels burning inside him so much that it was starting to effect the real world, even though he himself wasn't physical any more.

There was nothing Dipper could care about anymore.

* * *

Now this was a incredibly fun chapter to right. I don't know what it is, but I really enjoy writing chapters that involve torturing Dipper in some way.

Honestly not that much to say really, except for the fact that I can safely say that Saturday is the update day for this fanfiction now. ;)


	25. Chapter 23 Stronger As I Am

A wild update has appeared! Wanna catch it?

I honestly cannot do anything but write a chapter after seeing this weeks episode. Fainting, and foaming at the mouth. There was a lot of that involved. As well as screaming. Lots of screaming.

* * *

 **Chapter**

 _Stronger As I Am_

* * *

He was walking now, at least he thought he was. Dipper wasn't really sure about anything anymore.

There was the sound of fire engines in the background, but he didn't much care for them. Not anymore that he cared for the forest fire he had created with his flames.

What would he do now? Now he had nothing. No home, no family, no sister. He couldn't go back to them after what he'd done. Dipper couldn't allow himself to.

He was sitting on a rock now, maybe. He thought so. Everything felt numb to him, his eyes felt foggy as he wandered through the labyrinth of trees, no where to go.

To anyone, he would have looked like ghost, his body showing no signs of emotion at all. But inside? That was a different story.

Inside he was a wreck, his mind beating itself for that he had done. What he'd allowed to happen. It was all too painful. It made him want to just give into the darkness that he felt everyday and let everything just go away. But there was always that side of him that knew he couldn't do that.

That would just betray Mabel even more.

But the question was still there. "What are you going to do now?"

Dipper glanced round at the familiar voice.

* * *

Stan was sitting by her bed, watching her sleep. The doctors had said she'd be fine. None of the cuts had punctured any major arteries, and the break in her ankle would only need six weeks to heal, after one operation. As for the burns, they'd be taken care of as well. Right now she was just sleeping, it was his guess when she'd awake.

The man had quickly made up a lie to explain her injuries. "Bear attack followed by a forest fire." He'd said, no one even questioned it, they never did. But what had actually happened?

He wondered if Dipper was in the room, watching her like the paranoid little brother he was. But if he was, why hadn't he contacted Stan in some way? He must have seen what happened to Mabel, as far as he knew, the kid hadn't ever been apart from her since this all began.

Mabel hadn't told him much about what was happening with Dipper, but Stan couldn't blame her. She probably thought that he was just a cranky old man who didn't even believe in the supernatural. If only she knew the truth.

He glanced slightly to his side, hearing the door open.

"We came as fast as we could, Mr Pines." It was Wendy and Soos, he'd given them both a call as soon as Mabel had been settled into the hospital.

"How has Dipper taken it?" Wendy was first to ask that question, as far as he knew, Dipper hadn't contacted her for a few days.

There was a small shake to his head. "Don't know. I haven't heard from him at all. I don't even know if he's aware of what's happened. But he could be in the room without telling me."

Wendy and Soos frowned sadly, before walking over to the bed, looking at Mabel.

"Is... she going to be okay?" Soos asked worriedly, taking his cap off and holding it firmly in his hands, there were small tears evident in his eyes, though they refused to leave them.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to worry. She just needs an operation for her ankle, and then she should be good. They'll be treating her burns in a bit. She's... going to be fine." He murmured, starting to feel like he had been unable to stop this from happening.

* * *

Dipper didn't answer him at first, his mind was still a mess, so he wasn't sure if he was just imagining Bill or not. He hoped he wasn't. Dipper wasn't prepared to have an imaginary Bill stalking him even in the real world.

But when he had collected at least some of his bearings, he found the will to speak, but responded with a question of his own instead of answering his. "How... are you here." It was strange. His voice felt so flat and emotionless that his question just sounded like a statement.

"Well... I had some energy reserves and thought, 'why don't I use this energy to check on my old buddy Alcor?', so here I am!"

Dipper could easily tell that was a lie, but he didn't have the strength of will to counter him and find out how he'd really got that power. And the fact that the triangle had called him his demon name instead of 'Pine Tree' kind of weirded him out, it was unusual. But everything seemed that way right now.

"Well... You're here." He said flatly, looking gazelessly ahead of himself again, trying to loose whatever consciousness he'd regained from Bill's interaction. But that wasn't in the cards.

"Looks like you're in quite a pickle right now, huh?" Bill hovered next to him, straightening himself up slightly, though he still needed the aid of his cane.

"I... I didn't mean too... But..." Dipper murmured quietly before stopping before he could start to cry.

Bill sighed, unlike him. He put on a face of sympathy. "Look Kid, this was going to happen eventually. I mean... You knew this couldn't last, right? Human and demon relationships never end well. I should know, I've witnessed it a thousand times like this with others from the realm. But it always turns out for the worst."

"I'm... not like you. I... I'm still me. I'm still... her brother." He couldn't stop them now, the tears. Dipper was starting to break down on the outside now.

"You just don't get it, do you? Demons and humans don't go together. As friends, or more. Sure, you still hold on to that fact. But do you realise that these breakdowns and tantrums are just going to get worse? She's been caught in the crossfire. Do you want to catch her again?"

Dipper didn't answer for the longest of times. "But... what would I even do?... I... I don't think I can see her anymore... So... what do I do now?" He didn't even know why he was asking Bill. Bill. That crazy triangle that you couldn't trust. But who else could he talk to?

Bill floated in front of him so he got his full attention, making Dipper notice that he didn't look as sickly as the last time they'd spoke. "Maybe it's time to give it all up."

"What...?" Dipper didn't understand what he meant, but he had a dreading feeling at the back of his mind.

"Your old life. What use do you have for it now? You're to dangerous to be around your friends and family, you could hurt them like you did for Shooting Star. Isn't it about time to give up this foolish attempt to keep your old life and stick with me in the Nightmare Realm?"

Dipper didn't know what to say. A part of him wanted to stay, to not give up. But an equally strong part of him knew that he couldn't keep it up forever. Mabel could get hurt again, or worse. "I can't... just leave everything behind."

"You wouldn't be!" Bill said while throwing his hands up in the air for a second. "Leaving it wouldn't mean being trapped in the Nightmare Realm forever and ever. You could still come back to this realm. Just... throw away your connection to it. Give up your link."

Dipper started to feel wary, but his mind was considering the possibility. "Then what is my link?"

Bill couldn't help but chuckle slightly, though he hadn't meant for it to come out as sounded as menacing as it had. "Your humanity."

Dipper stared at him, pulling away from the demon slightly. "No way."

"But what use do you have for it? It will only bring you misery! Don't you feel torn up already because of it? It's a demons weakness. You should be getting rid of it while you can, or you'll be an underdog for the rest of your existence. Don't you want to protect Shooting Star? Humanity just holds you back from doing so."

The boy didn't answer, wrapped up in his own head, so the triangle held out his hand to him, it becoming a glow. However the glow was weak, the flame not being as raging as the first time they'd shook. "All you have to do is shake my hand, and all those horrible human problems can go away forever."

Dipper bit his lip, his head on a rush. _Should I take it? I can't go back to Mabel, so why shouldn't I? I have nothing left here. Nothing I can go back to._ He walked towards the demon, reaching his hand up to burning blue hand... But then he suddenly pulled back. "...No."

Bill looked at him in surprise, he was sure he'd gotten the boy to take the deal. "No?"

Dipper looked at his hand and clenched it tightly. "No. I won't give it all up."

"What use to do you even have for it? It's useless!"

"You may think so, but I don't. Being human is what makes me, me. If I gave that part of me up... I would just be a copy of you. And what you said is wrong. It isn't weakness, if anything, it's strength. My humanity is what drives me forward. Without it, sure, I wouldn't have all the pain I'm feeling right now. All the horror of what I've done... But that's the strength. Without pain like that, you're just numb to the outside world. If anyone's the weak one, its _you_."

Now it was Bill he couldn't find a way to speak, which made Dipper smile slightly, he'd actually made a demon speechless.

"You're right, I can't go back to how things use to be. Not anymore. But I'm not leaving it all behind either. I can't leave Mabel and abandon her. If I did that, I'd be betraying her even more than I already have. So leave. I'm not playing by how you want it all to go." Dipper reached up and took of his hat, looking at the symbol on it, smiling sadly. "I guess my summers coming to an end..." He murmured quietly to himself, before looking back at Bill. "I'll still keep up my end of our deal. You can train me, and in exchange I'll do deals for you. But that doesn't mean that I'll like or trust you. So stop acting like we're friends. Because whenever you act like that, I know you're trying to get something out of it."

Dipper took of his vest and looked at it, along with his hat, thinking again. "You can go back to that lovely realm of yours, but I'll be staying here till I've used up all my time. I... have some things I need to take care of, especially... this." He looked around at the fire he'd created.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't give you a chance. You'll regret your choice later." Bill finally said, his voice becoming slightly sour. It must have been the first time in his whole life that someone had actually stood up to him when he'd offered them a deal. It actually felt kind of fun to spite the triangle.

There wasn't any evidence of him leaving, not a show of flashy colours or anything like that. Just... gone. And Dipper could finally breath.

He set his vest and his hat down on a stump, before looking at them with sad eyes. _I can't go back to that life. But I won't forget it._ He clicked his fingers, carefully draining his fire from the forest around him, and intensifying it onto those items of clothing, watching as they burned.

Dipper didn't feel any emotion as he watched them burn, it couldn't think of anything he could feel as he watched his old life burn away. And when there was nothing but ash, he sighed, using his power to change the clothes he wore to that of his demon attire.

He walked up to the water in a puddle, and looked at how different he looked. _Like a demon._ But he shook his head. _No. I'm not like the others. I'll never be like the others._

After that, he sighed, beginning to float with no use for touching the ground. Now he just had to find the way back to town, where ever it was, and say a few goodbyes.

* * *

I'm not sure if I made it very clear, but what Dipper's decided to do was to keep watch over Mabel and the others, but not to interact with them, as well as continuing his training with Bill Cipher. But we'll see how long that lasts, because if it did, this would be a very boring fic from this point forward.

Also, I feel like a total nerd since I was getting As and A*s in some of my mock results. Luckily, I had an E in french to even it out. The listening... you cannot understand a freakin word they say.

Anyway, I am super hyped for the next episode. Luckily me and my friends are going to be having a sleepover so I can introduce them to the show. (None of them have watched it to my horror, so we're going to be watching season1 and 2 in a row so they're completely caught up.) Though, it also means that I won't be able to watch the new episode until the thursday on the week it comes out. Which will be torture.

But anyway, speaking of that week. I'll be off school... So... No school = An update a day! Hopefully anyway. I'll have an update atleast every other day on that week though. And since my parents will be dragging me on a short holiday on the weekend, I'll be writing a few chapters before hand so I can update while I'm away as well. So thats something to look forward to.

Also, I believe that we'll have our first appearance of Ford in the next few chapters. As since Mabel's in hospital... things will get moved along quite quickly.

Anyway, see you next time. ;)


	26. Chapter 24 How She Feels

I hope you're ready for my update streak next week! I'll be starting on Monday and there'll be a update each day till Sunday, so that's seven updates in one week. Also I reworked my plan for the author a bit after I got a lot of help from one of my loyal readers, LainaFantasyGirl. She helped me a lot with what to do for the authors entrance, so it will be a bit later on than I excepted, but it will be worth it. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

 _How She Feels_

* * *

A few hours, that's how long he'd been walking. However, Dipper didn't know exactly. He had better things to worry about then the time, like how he was going to tell Mabel that she wasn't ever going to see him again.

He was going to see her, sure, but it wasn't going to work both ways. It was too dangerous for her to keep interacting with him all the time, who knows what more could happen to her? But Dipper knew she wasn't going to take it well. They'd never been apart before, sticking together since longer than he could remember. So even though he knew it was the right thing to do, he could feel himself getting torn up over it.

Dipper would occasionally look at the forest as he walked, noticing all of the carnage he'd caused. No tree seemed unburned, though some looked worse than others. His fire had spread pretty far by the time he'd extinguished it. Though strangely he didn't feel any guilt over destroying the area, and potentially putting lives at risk. In fact, he was actually kind of excited to see how the news would handle it. _I wonder if they'll put it on to some environmental phenomenon or actually believe it was supernatural? Probably the latter._

He was walking into the town now, finally out of that maze of charred trees. He still decided to keep walking though, it helped him keep himself grounded in reality, plus the fact that it gave him more time to think, since walking wasn't nearly as fast as floating for him.

But soon Dipper realised a simple fact, he didn't even know where the hospital was. He'd never actually been to the one in Gravity Falls, he didn't even know if there was one, but there had to be, right? _The ambulance had to come from somewhere, and it couldn't have gotten there that quickly if it came from out of town._ He decided to himself, before starting to wander, it had to be around here somewhere.

Now that he had nothing on to focus but the fact that he was about to tell his sister that he was leaving her, he could actually feel what it was like to be completely invisible, figuratively and literally. Dipper watched as Toby Determined walked past him without a single glance, and he felt that twinge of sadness, even though he was sure he'd gotten use to the fact that he was completely unseeable to those around him now.

He let loose a single sigh before he continued on his journey, but luckily he spotted a building that looked like a hospital, but it wasn't very big compared to the ones he'd seen in California, but what did he expect for a small lumber town?

Dipper slowly walked up to it, but the automatic doors wouldn't work for him. _Of course not, idiot. Why wouldn't they?_ He gritted his teeth slightly, before stepping straight through the doors, sending a shudder down his spine. He just hated that, it wasn't natural. Phasing through things like a ghost was like a big sign saying 'You Don't Exist' right at his face. But he ignored it anyway.

But now came an even bigger problem, actually finding Mabel. It wasn't like he could walk up to the desk and ask where she was, so all he could do was walk around the hospital and hope to find her. _Well, it isn't that big. It won't take that long, plus, I guess it will give me more time to decide how to break it to her._

However, to his luck (or unluck), he found her room almost as soon as he started to search, as she was on the ground floor.

Dipper took a deep breath and looked at her, seeing how fragile she looked, but how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. Looking around, he could tell the doctors had treated her cuts and burns, and she had a cast on her leg to support the broken ankle, it being propped up by a few pillows. It was almost like what had happened hadn't even happened, almost. But that incredible guilt still welled up when he saw her, and he had to take a deep breath to stop himself from breaking down in front of her.

There were flowers on the table next to her, obviously someone had come to see her. _Most likely Stan, but Wendy or Soos could have come too. Stan's probably still around here, he wouldn't leave Mabel all on her own._

Dipper watched Mabel for the longest time before he spoke. "You know, it's actually kind of funny..." He said quietly, a small laugh escaping his lips. "I... I don't think I'd be able to do this if you were awake, if you could hear me..." But even so, he felt himself breaking down, tears starting to drip down his cheeks. He had to cover his face with his hands to try and muffle his cries. "It's... all my fault! It's all my fault you're in hospital... It's my fault that the rest of your summer is going to be spent on crutches!"

He cried his heart out, finding no energy to stop it, until he heard a little voice coming from the bed. "Dipper...? Is that... you?"

Dipper's sobs hitched in his throat. _She's awake... No... She can't see me like this, and I can't see her like this. This was a bad idea... I have to go._ But before he could, he heard her talking.

"I'm so glad you came... Everyone else came to see me, Soos was crying for about an hour and only stopped when Grunkle Stan got him to calm down. I was waiting for you... But you didn't come. I was worried you weren't going to come. I know... I know you blame yourself for this."

He slowly removed his hands from his face, and confirmed that she was indeed awake, and talking. yet she wasn't looking at him. Mabel was looking straight up at the ceiling as she talked, like she didn't want to confirm it for herself if he was really there or if she'd been imagining it.

"Please... I don't want you to. This isn't your fault, so don't think it is. Don't blame yourself for what neither you or me were expecting. I don't know exactly what happened with you, but I know that you weren't the culprit, so please, for me, don't take this out on yourself."

Dipper's eyes were watering again, more tears trying to escape his eyelids, yet failed, his eyes getting blurry instead. "I... I hurt you." Was all he could think to say.

And Mabel slowly turned her head to look at him, the evidence of a smile on her lips, like always. "And yet again, I have to tell you that it wasn't your fault."

He just stared at her, a spike of anger evident in his voice. "But it was me that hurt you, nobody else! It wasn't some kind of ghost possessing me or something, it was none other than me! Even with all the knowledge that was trying to split my head in half, I should of been able to distinguish that that presence had been you, but I didn't. Like the coward I am I didn't bother to consider that whatever I felt could have been you! It's my fault that you ended up in a cast, so don't try to change that... And that's... why I need to let you go."

Mabel was going to say something, but he cut her off. "No, don't even dare to argue with me, there's nothing that can change my mind. I'm going to be leaving tomorrow, and I'll be staying in the Nightmare Realm for the inevitable future." _I can't tell her that I'll watch over her, if I did that, she would be trying to find me all the time, and I can't let that put her in danger._ He thought as he spoke.

"No." Now it was Mabel's time to show anger. "No, don't you dare leave me like this Dipper! Don't you dare take the easy way out just because it seems like the right thing to do, it's just selfish! Before you go about making decisions like this, think about how this effects me. How do you think I feel about this? I've been supportive and helped you as much as I can through all this, and yet you're going to leave me without a second thought? What would I tell mom and dad, that you died? Do you think I'll be able to cope without you, without my only brother? Once I go back to Piedmont, I'll have to leave Candy and Grenda behind, two of the only friends I've ever had. But I can't cope with leaving you behind too, so don't say that it's the right thing to do, because it's not. I'll still get myself into danger looking for you if you left, so it's not like it's protecting me from it." Mabel's face was bright red by the time she'd finished her rant, and after a long moment for her to calm down, she sighed. "But if none of this is going to sink into that thick head of yours then..." She closed her eyes to think.

Dipper was stunned. Did she really feel that strongly about it? And was he... really being selfish in his decision? _I never really thought about it like that... But... If she right? Will things just get worse for her even if I left? I... I don't know what to think about this._

"You're going to be making deals, right? So why don't... Why don't you make one with me." Mabel was sniffling, tears evident in her eyes, though they didn't threaten to leave them.

And what she had just said jolted Dipper, causing him to show a look of surprise. "Wait... What?"

"Stay with me till the end of the summer. If we can't work this out before then, then I guess your right... I won't try to stop you from going. But if it works, please, stay with me and keep being my brother." She reached her hand out from the bed, as a mock impression of him when he made the deal with the society, and she gave a little smile.

Dipper looked at her smiling face, then at her hand. He bit his lip. _This... It's too dangerous. What if this turns out worse than it... No... Mabel's right, I've been selfish. This is dangerous... But also... She doesn't have any friends at home, and neither did I. We were always there for each other, we didn't need anyone else. Without me..._ He reached over to her and shook her hand, sealing the deal. "Then it's a deal." He gave her a smile, but there was hesitation in his eyes. There was still the guilt he felt whenever he looked at her, and the hate he felt for himself. And he knew it would take a lot to get that to fade.

Mabel just smiled at him. "Deal." Before she closed her eyes again. "Now seems like as good a time as any to see if you can enter dreams." She gave out a big yawn. "Try and catch me in sleepsville!" And like that, she was out like a light again.

All Dipper could do was blink, trying to figure out if she had really just switched from yelling at him, to offering him a game of dream tag.


	27. Chapter 25 Roleplay With A Demon

And now we start my little marathon! At the time of this update, I've written chapter's 26 and 27, and I'll be 28 and 29 later on today. Gotta get all the chapters written before my holiday starts. ;) So I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

 _Roleplay With A Demon_

* * *

The next week was mixed in Dipper's opinion. For a start, he'd never been able to go into her dreams, but then again, he'd been doubting it was possible from the start. However a small part of him believed that it actually was, and the only reason he wasn't able to right now was because he just hadn't gained that ability yet. Whenever he tried, he just ended up waking up Mabel anyway, so it was no use trying right now. If it were possible, Bill would teach him eventually.

But he and Bill hadn't been on good terms for the few days after he'd refused his deal. The triangle would straight up ignore him for the first day, which actually made him more annoyed than when the guy was actually trying to annoy him. But there was always the part of him that was actually smiling at this, since he'd actually miffed the demon off for once, Dipper bet he barely ever to rejected like that.

However, after that short period of silence between the two of them, Bill quickly was back to his extremely annoying and frustrating self, which Dipper was actually thankful for.

"Before we get into anything, you're stupid." Bill said, speaking for the first time in a few days.

"Excuse me?" Dipper felt relieved to hear his voice again, but that was a really weird first sentence.

"Really?" Bill rolled his eye. "You tell me you're going to leave her, and then you decide to stay? You change your mind fairly quickly don't you?"

Dipper winced, understanding what he meant now. "It's not like that... After the summer ends, I'm going to leave her, for real."

"But...?"

He couldn't help but sigh. "She thinks that we'll be able to work something out, and if we do, I have to stay with her."

"It's funny, you act as if it's a legally binding deal, with a contract and such."

Dipper face palmed himself, clicking his fingers and a piece of paper appeared in a poof of blue fire. It was written in crayon. "She made one in the hospital, Stan brought her some colours to keep her occupied, and this was the first thing she made." However he hesitated. "Well, of course this is just a copy I made of it."

Bill floated over to him, inspecting the contract. It read 'This contract is for Dipper, so he remembers the deal we made. He's going to stay with me for the summer till we figure something out so he can stay permanently. However, if we don't figure something out (which is highly unlikely), he can go to the Nightmare Realm instead. If he even dares to think about breaking this contract, I'll wrap him in the tightest hug that he'll never escape from! Signed: Mabel and Dipper', however the part where Dipper had signed was obviously Mabel trying her best to forge his signature. "This, is a lovely piece of art. It's great what you get yourself mixed up in, isn't it?"

Dipper gave him a glare, before poofing the contract into non-existence once again. "So, are you going to teach me something finally, or are we going to sit here for a few more days?"

Bill thought for a second, before holding up a figure. "Fine fine, just one more question. Why haven't you changed back to your old clothes?"

Dipper took the second to look at the suit he was dressed in, biting his lip. "Because this is my life now. Even if I stay with Mabel after the summer, I'm not Dipper Pines anymore, not really. The old me is dead and gone, he's never coming back. I'm a demon now, aren't I? I better start dressing like one." He murmured slightly, his gaze hard on Cipher.

"Interesting, one little slip up is all it takes to change your mind so greatly, huh? I thought you weren't very keen on that suit."

Dipper shrugged. "I guess I just... got use to it. Besides, what else would I wear, just a pair of pants like Astaroth? He's style is even worse than yours." But then he remembered what Bill had said first, and his eyes hardened on Bill. "Don't call what happened a slip up."

Bill raised his eyebrow at Dipper. "But it is, isn't it? A fluke, a mishap, something unintentionally done, why call it anything else."

"You make it seem like something minor, like if I accidentally smashed a glass or something."

"Ah yes, you smashed your sister instead." He said, chuckling, just to get Dipper launching himself at him and grabbing him up, anger flaring. "Alright, alright! Calm down, I was only joking around."

The anger slowly receded from Dipper's features, he was getting a better control over it thanks to Bill's training, though it still came and went without warning. He took a deep breath and let go of the triangle, who straightened himself out again. "You really shouldn't get worked up by what happened, it was bound to."

Dipper closed his eyes for a second, sighing. "But I don't even know why it happened, and I barely even know what happened. It was like my head was breaking in half, and I was seeing things like my previous visions... But it was so much worse than them. It was like a thousand of them in one."

Bill squinted his eye slightly, thinking before crossing his arms, leaning on his cane slightly, though he didn't really need it anymore, for a reason that Dipper still didn't know. "I think I might know what happened."

The kid looked at him hopefully. "Really?" He hoped this meant he'd know a way to stop it from happening again, then Dipper'd be able to eliminate that from the list of possible dangers to Mabel.

"Yes... You see, any demonologist, and before you ask that is a thing, would know that demon's are omniscient beings. Well, that isn't exactly true, we tend to stretch our resume a bit, as there is no demon who is entirely omniscient. However there are those that come close. You weren't born a demon, so you didn't come into existence with the knowledge automatically in your head. Those tiny little visions you've had? Probably your brain starting to adjust to becoming that of a demon. However that one breakdown? Most likely just a bigger version of that, as you said, it felt like that, but a lot worse. But even so, I doubt that'll be the last one you'll have, you probably only felt like you were receiving a lot of information, though in reality it probably wasn't that much. Well, in demon standards anyway. It probably far passes any human."

"But... Isn't there a way to stop it? Or at least get myself to handle it better? I can't have something like that happening again, it's too dangerous." Dipper asked desperately, he needed something.

A shake of the demons head. "No. For both of them. Let's call it... just part of growing up!"

Dipper growled slightly, glaring at him. "You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! That's one of the many reasons I talk to you!" The demon chuckled, before floating over to the boy. "But seriously, I doubt your mind would be able to handle this any better, it use to be human, remember? What's happening is something it was never meant to experience. But if you're so worried about it, I suggest coming to Nightmare Realm immediately if you think its going to happen again. Don't stop to say why, just go. As quickly as possible. You won't be able to do any damage to Shooting Star from in here." For once, the demon actually sounded caring, which disturbed Dipper more than comforted him.

"Yeah, yeah." He looking down at the burning flames on the ground beneath them. "Just... Stop acting like you actually care. Because I know you're just trying to get me to like you so I'll trust you. But that'll never happen. I might of broken that deal, but you were the one who offered it in the first place. I'll never forgive you for that." Dipper closed his eyes before looking up again at him and crossed his arms, heaving a sigh. "Can we just... get on with this then?"

Bill was silent for a minute, before he backed slightly away from Dipper. "Alright then, if you want a lesson so badly, why don't we do a little roleplay?"

Dipper's face fell almost immediately. "What."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun! Plus it will get you ready for your first summoning." Bill winked at him (which was more of a blink) before continuing. "Here, I'll play the summoner. Pretend I just summoned you into my home."

Dipper sighed. "Fine." He murmured, trying to think of the first thing to say. "Boo?"

"What are you, a ghost?"

"I don't know! What do demons even say at a summoning?"

"You should say something that shows your power, announce your name to them in the most powerful voice you can think off. Show them fear, but not enough to make them incapable of functioning probably."

"So basically, be scary, but enough that they'll wet themselves."

"Yes! So, you really do listen sometimes. Now, come on, try again."

Dipper closed his eyes for a second, not really sure how he could make himself sound scary, as he himself was scared by most of the stuff he was learning, but he tried anyway. Snapping his eyes open, he put on a menacing face and made his hands become ablaze with fire, he opened his mouth wide to show his sharp teeth before speaking as loud and as powerfully as he could. "I AM ALCOR THE DREAMBENDER, WHY DO YOU DARE TO SUMMON ME INTO YOUR ABODE?" He impressed himself a lot. Heck, half of that had just came out naturally, he wasn't even sure what abode actually meant, but he assumed it was another word for house.

After his little show, he made his flames dissipate and looked at Bill to see what he thought, and got a little clap from Bill. Though he wasn't sure if it was a real clap, or just a sarcastic one. He could never really tell with Bill.

"That was quite good, I must admit. You really know how to strict fear into the hearts of those that dare to summon you."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, are we going to get onto something that will actually help me now?"

"We still need to perfect this."

"But that was amazing! What more could I have done to improve, scream a bit louder?"

"No, but that is a good idea. You should try that next time." Bill chuckled slightly. "What would really add that punch, would be if you went a bit more... demonic."

Dipper instantly knew what he was implying and cut him short. "No. End of story. I'm not becoming that... thing."

"It's not a thing. It's you, just a bit less human."

"And what difference is that from a thing?"

"A lot, now why won't you do it? It's quite a curious power I must admit, I would love to see some more of it."

"You won't be seeing any of it any time soon. I can't use it, it would drive me nuts!"

"But being nuts is a default setting for demons."

"Clearly." He glared slightly at the triangle. "But I don't want to be a demon, even if I accept that this is what I'll be for the rest of my life, I've never going to be like you. I'm never going to be a psycho like you.

Bill rolled his eye. "Fine, we can do that later."

* * *

Did you like it? I hope you did! So, there's one thing I have to get out the way, I won't be watching the episode that's coming out tonight till... Thursday? So I'll be crying on the inside while I wait for that day. The reason purely being that I want to hold off from watching it till my friends come round, so that means I'd really appreciate if you didn't add anything spoilerish to your reviews till Fridays update, okay? It's not funny, and would ruin the experience for me. But I trust you all. ;)


	28. Chapter 26 Not So Peaceful Anymore

And so the agony begins. I hope those of you who could watch the new episode found it amazing. Honestly, the one thing I hope for this episode is a cool new theme. I don't expect the song to change, but the visuals will hopefully be corrupted. I dunno, just one of my hopes for the episode when I watch it in a few days.

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 _Not So Peaceful Anymore_

* * *

So things had continued as normal. During the day, Dipper would stay with Mabel at the hospital where they'd talk and play games for the day, which were obviously only verbal ones, and whenever a nurse or someone working at the hospital came in, he'd quickly shut up. Worrying that if someone saw, they'd think Mabel had gone crazy or something. But Mabel just called him paranoid for thinking it.

At night, he'd watch her go to sleep before leaving back to the demon realm, so he could train with Bill, which was actually going quite well. He hadn't expected to enjoy the training, but he really did, and didn't know if that should worry him or not. In the week that followed, he'd been able to control his floating without as much effort as he used to, not really haven't to think about his feet touching the floor anymore for him to be able to walk. Bill even taught him how to create objects simply and quickly, objects that he hadn't even seen before, and just from a description, though he still had trouble with it from time to time.

It was all well and good, and just seemed to get better when Mabel was discharged from the hospital after being there for a whole week. Both Mabel and Dipper were just so thankful to be out of that place, honestly they'd both become sick of the scenery. However since Mabel still needed a few weeks for her broken bone to heal, she had to walk around with crutches, which would make Dipper sad whenever he saw her using them. She couldn't move like she use to. A _nd it was my fault._ Dipper shook his head, trying to stop those thoughts. He had to be strong for Mabel, she told him not to blame himself, so he had decided to try and block out those thoughts, but they just kept coming back.

Mabel was sitting in the back of the car as Stan drove her from the hospital, with Dipper with her as well, sitting next to her in the car. They were smiling at each other, both equally as excited to be going back the shack, they'd both missed it so much.

It was in sight, the shack. _It's good to be back._ They both thought, almost in sync. However something was wrong, there were cars outside the shack, and they sure weren't those of any tourists. They were government cars.

Stan looked ahead in hesitation. "Mabel, stay in the car. I'll handle this." He said calmly before putting on the breaks and stepping out of the car. Walking up to the sets of cars in front of his shack.

Mabel looked outside the car, focusing on the cars. "Dipper... What is the government doing here?"

Dipper hesitated, looking with her, not daring to leave her on her own to go check. "I don't know... Stan couldn't have done something _that_ serious, right?"

Alarm struck them both when a few government agents came out of the cars and one tackled Stan, putting his arms behinds his back and handcuffed him as he slammed Stan's head into the onto the trunk of the car.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried in alarm before quickly kicking the door open with her good foot, she then proceded to hobble out of the car the best she could before speed-crutching to the scene.

Dipper floated quickly behind her. "Mabel! He said to stay in the car."

Mabel ignored him for a moment, just as she reached agents and Stan, who was saying something about what he could have done to get arrested this much. The other agents were coming out of the cars and surrounding the shack while a few who saw Mabel quickly surrounded her, but she quickly whacked one in the knee creating a path for her to get the rest of the way to Stan, Dipper following nervously behind her. "Get off my uncle, he's not that much of a criminal!"

Two agents, who were obviously partners, came out from another car. One of them walked up to Stan and showed him a tablet showing video footage. "This is security footage of a government waste facility. At o'four hundred hours last night, someone robbed three hundred gallons of dangerous waste."

Stan looked at the agent in slight annoyance. "What, you think that's me?"

The agent took away the tablet and glared at him. "Don't play dumb with us, Pines."

Stan started to be taken away by the other agent, denying the allegation. "But I actually am dumb! Last night I was restocking the gift shop, I swear!"

Mabel looked at her Grunkle being taken away. "Wait! Grunkle Stan!" She looked at the agent. "You've got the wrong guy! My Grunkle Stan might shoplift the occasional tangerine, but he's not some evil super villain!"

The agent looked at her, frowning for a second before bending down to her level. "Listen, kid. We've been watching your family all summer and we've seen some disturbing things. It's lucky your brother was sent home before anything bad happened."

Mabel frowned for a second, but then realised they must have come to that conclusion since Dipper was nowhere to be seen anymore, at least, to them he wasn't anyway.

"However, nothing as dangerous as what your uncle is hiding. Somewhere hidden in this shack is a doomsday device!" The agent finished, causing Mabel's eyes to widen slightly. But she didn't believe it, she couldn't. _No, Stan's not like that, he wouldn't have something like that! Dipper knows too, we both know!"_ She looked over at Dipper as if to clarify, however something was off about him. He was focused on the shack.

Dipper couldn't understand it, what was that feeling? That sense of power that was vibrating from the shack, he'd been hearing what the agent had said, but he hadn't focused on it much, but when the agent had said about a doomsday device, he was stumped. Was that what he was feeling in the shack, was that what that power was coming from? He was oh so curious, he wanted to go in and have a look, see if the agents were right. But something snapped him back. _What the hell Dipper? Am I really considering the possibility that there actually could be a doomsday device in the shack? That's ridiculous, it has to be! I doubt Stan's even smart enough to build something like that... But it could all be a cover... No! I have to stop thinking about this._ He shook his head clear, before looking at Mabel, a hesitant look on his face, he just didn't know what to think.

The agent looked at his partner and handed him the tablet. "Trigger, take the child. I'll talk to the old man."

Mabel tried to speak again, but couldn't find the words, she had no idea what to do. A different agent ushered her to the car that Trigger was driving, where she got in with unseen help from Dipper. Neither of them knew how they were going to get out this.

The twins looked out of the car to the one Stan was in, trying desperately to think of a way out. He was slamming his cuffed hands on the glass to get her, and Dipper's attention, he was directing his voice to both of them, he knew that Dipper had to be there with her. "Kids, you gotta believe me! For once I'm actually innocent!" But then the car started to drive off. "Kids!"

* * *

They'd been driving for a few minutes without a word, Dipper and Mabel sharing worried glances when they saw a video link starting at the front of the video as Trigger's partner, Powers, relaid the information they had. "We've got Mr. Pines in custody. Our men are searching the shack for the device. You take care of the kids." Then the video cut off.

Mabel gasped slightly as the last statement. "What are you going to do to me?"

Trigger answered her swiftly. "We'll be taking you to child services, from there, you'll be taken back to your parents."

"Boo!" She shouted at him.

"In the meantime," He pressed a button, causing a screen to light up on the back of the seat for her to see. "enjoy some mindless reality TV, designed to pacify you and make you stop asking questions."

Whatever TV they had, it was awful, some kind of prank show that neither of them were fond off, they quickly started to talk among themselves. Mabel looking at Dipper. "Dipper, this is crazy. there's no way Stan was stealing hazardous waste, we gotta clear his name!"

He thought for a second as he sat next to her, trying to figure out a way for them to do it, even though he still had his mind on other things, like that energy that he'd felt at the shack, and that desire he still had to see what it was. But he noticed a camera at the front of the car. "Wait a minute, the security tapes! Didn't Stan say he was restocking the gift shop last night? If we could get the Mystery Shack surveillance tapes, we could prove he's innocent!"

Mabel smiled at him, he was always the one to come up with a plan, but it was her turn to think of how they'd carry it out. "We just need to think of a way out of here. Think, Mabel... Think."

And she soon noticed Manly Dan driving his logging truck beside them, and she saw a Sev'ral Timez bumber sticker on, leading her to quickly knock on the window to get his attention, before writing 'Ser'val Timez is overrated' on the foggy window of the car. This instantly caused the man to snap, veering the truck into the side of the government car, causing it to start spinning out of control.

"Mayday, mayday! Agent down!" Trigger shouted as the vehicle fell off the road and into the forest, causing all of them to scream. Dipper started to grab hold of Mabel to try and hold her steady, she'd already banged her leg once as the car bumped on the unlevel terrain and had caused a shoot of pain to go up her leg. He closed his eyes to brace for impact, when they collided with a tree, causing all movement to stop in the car.

They were all very much unharmed, however Trigger was on able to get out of the car due to a branch. "Darn branch!" He muttered as he struggled.

Mabel cheered as she kicked open the door. "Haha, yes!" Dipper floated out of the car before her, holding her slightly as she landed on the floor gently, where she quickly put on her crutches again.

Dipper glared at her. "What was that! You could of gotten yourself hurt, and your already on crutches!"

"Do you want to prove Stan's innocence or what? This was the only way I could think off, and besides, just because I'm a little immobile, doesn't mean I can't handle a little danger!" She began to walk to the front of the car as Trigger tried to call for backup, so she let go of one of her crutches and let it drop, pulling the earpiece out of the agents ear and crushed it under her foot. She then hunched down slightly, wincing for a second as she picked it back up, and quickly began to crutch it away. "Come on, let's go clear our uncles name."

Trigger must have thought she was talking to an imaginary friend or something, because he didn't seem particularly confused by her talking to herself. But he did say, 'Oh, you poor kid. You really think your uncle's innocent? I've seen it all before." Even though he was directing speech to Mabel, Dipper was the one who was really listening. "False names, double lives, one minute they're playing with water balloons, the next they're building doomsday devices. Your uncle scammed the whole world. You gonna let him scam you, too?" He shook his head when Mabel didn't even glance at him.

But Dipper was thinking. _No. No. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Stan's not like that. Not like that at all._ He soon followed after Mabel, leaving the agent to shout after them, until his airbag inflated.

* * *

I apologise for how it mirrors the episode 'Not What He Seems', but I couldn't think of a better way to do this. The next few episodes will mirror it to, I'm afraid. But after those few it will be completely continuity free from the rest of the episodes.


	29. Chapter 27 Who Are You Really?

**Chapter 27**

 _Who Are You Really?_

* * *

It was when Dipper and Mabel were walking back to the shack that he felt it again, that feeling of power that was coming from the shack. However it was stronger, he was able to feel it from this distance, and it felt like it was pulsating, increasing at a fast rate, spreading out it's range at an extraordinary rate. Dipper could feel the range of power getting closer to them, and it sent his mind rushing. _It's getting stronger? What's it doing? This is bad... Very bad... It has to be, I need to warn Mabel!_

"Mabel..." Dipper murmured. It was nearly upon them now. 3,2,1. "Watch out!" He cried, gaining a puzzled look from her, just as the wave of invisible energy passed over them, and gravity cancelled itself.

Mabel was the only one effected however, and she gave out a startled yelp as her feet left the floor. She squirmed in the air, her hands letting go of her crutches as she rose higher in the air, however they just floated along with her. Mabel looked over at her brother to see how he was handling it. "Dipper!"

But he didn't hear her, he was frozen, standing on the ground like nothing was happening. Dipper wasn't effected by the gravity change, but he was effected by the energy that was in the area. It was overpowering him in a way different to anything else he'd experienced. It was like the feeling of making a thousand deals in one, and he was relishing in it. It was amazing, like the sweet taste of chocolate or gummy bears. _This is... incredible... What is this? The source... I need to get to the source, the power will be even greater there! Get to the source, get to the source, GET TO THE SOURCE!_ Different parts of his head were screaming the same thing. He wanted more, he wanted to get that power, and the only way he'd be able to was if he went to the source of it. _I NEED THAT POWER._

The energy started to detract, being pulled back to the source, and gravity went back to normal, and Mabel started to plummet back to the ground. Luckily, she hadn't floated off too far, however she would still injure herself when she hit the ground, especially with her leg already injured. She screamed, closing her eyes for the impact, calling to her brother for about the fourth time, hoping it had some effect.

As the energy vanished, becoming only a sense of something far away, Dipper got sense of himself again, all the power hungry thoughts drifting into something that felt like the thinking of a different person, no, not even a person, a demon. And that terrified him. But he quickly gained sense that Mabel was in danger, and looked to his left, acting quickly to catch her as she fell.

"Mabel... I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He said quickly, lowering her on to the floor near where her crutches had landed, which she quickly grabbed hold of and used them to pull herself to her feet.

"I'm fine since you were there!" She grinned, though obviously shaken up. "But I want to know if you're okay, you seemed a little spaced out."

Dipper hesitated before speaking, his eyes analysing her to see if she had any injuries from the fall, luckily, none. "I don't know... I could feel this energy coming from... from the shack. I sensed it since the agents took Stan away, but it was never this strong. It was like it... increased, spreading out and I think it caused the gravity to stop working or something like that... But it... It really messed with my head, I think I started thinking like a demon for a second, like I wasn't myself."

Mabel looked at him, hesitating herself as she walked over to him. "It was just the one time right? I'm sure whatever it is won't happen again. But wait... did you say it came from the shack?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's definitely coming from there, there's no doubt. Mabel... What if the agent are right about Stan?"

She looked at him in shock. "Dipper! Why would you even consider that, he's our Grunkle! Whatever it is... It has to be something else, maybe a supernatural phenomenon that's just under the house and has nothing to do with him."

Dipper felt a bit annoyed at himself for thinking it after her counter, how could he actually consider it? But what did they actually know about Stan? Besides the fact that he was a conman running the mystery shack, they honestly didn't know that much about their own uncle. But he'd give Mabel his faith still, besides, he wasn't even sure what he actually truly thought about Stan, after what had just happened, he wasn't sure what thoughts were really his.

They started to continue on, the shack wasn't that far away honestly, but they still had to figure a way in once they got there, the government would probably still be there searching the shack to try and find the 'doomsday device' they were looking for. But if anyone was going to come up with a plan for something like that, it was probably going to be Mabel, though he doubted it was going to be practical.

Soon they were back at the shack, and sure enough, the agents were still there searching the house and making sure nobody got close. Mabel hid behind a bus as she scoped out the situation, quickly coming up with a plan. "Alright, here's the plan. I'll take out those two guard guys, you can turn physical for a moment and karate chop the other dude in the neck, and then we can back flip through the front door!"

Dipper looked at her for a second, seeing her plan entirely at fault, beginning with the fact that he doubted she'd be able to 'take out' anyone while having to walk on crutches herself, and he also hoped he didn't have to remind her that turning physical was impossible for him to do at will right now. "Or, I could try and put the guards asleep for a few seconds, long enough for you to sneak past."

Mabel frowned. "Fine, but for the record, my plan was better."

After she'd gotten herself ready for when Dipper would give the signal, he walked up to the area near the door to the entrance and focused as hard as he could, focusing on his training with Bill. He focused on all the different minds he could sense around him, and carefully pulled at them, causing the consciousness of the agents to dip, all off their eyes blinking shut while their bodies stayed standing. He kept his hold on them, giving a thumbs up to Mabel and she started to move towards the front door as quickly as she could. Dipper knew he wouldn't be able to hold them asleep for long, but he tried his best, concentrating as hard as he could until he saw Mabel step in the house, he was glad the door was open. Satisfied she was out of detection, he let go of the minds around him and they all awoke, before he quickly ran after Mabel, slightly drained from using his power on so many people.

He ran after her to Stan's room, where she locked the door behind the both of them and they grinned, fist bumping. However Dipper could still sense the power, and he could tell, it was definitely under the house now. Maybe Mabel was right, maybe it was just a strange supernatural thing that just happened to be under the house. But it was still there and it drove him crazy, he was so curious and wanted to see where it was coming from, and a part of him wanted to get that power, the less human, more demonic part.

The twins started to look around the room, trying to find where the tapes would be. "If I was Stan, where would I hide those surveillance tapes?" Dipper thought out loud as he scanned the bookshelf, until Mabel noticed a one of the antlers of a jackalope head mounted on the wall wasn't straight like the other. "Wait, the antelabbit!"

Dipper frowned. "Don't you mean jackalope?"

She rolled her eyes slightly, brushing him off. "Pfft, that can't be right. Here, give me a boost."

He gave a sigh, before carefully giving her a boost up, careful not to apply any pressure to her casted leg. Mabel reached up, grimacing slightly with the effort as she grapped the antler and pulled it back into place, before Dipper stepped back, dropping her carefully off his back, he'd been finding tasks like carrying her to be less of a feet, he guessed it was demon strength or something.

The antler did the job, and the wall turned open to reveal some TV monitors and a tape player, which caused both kids to cheer in success.

Mabel had dropped her crutch by then, finding it necessary to use her hands, so Dipper was holding her up instead, which he didn't mind, as long as he didn't become nothing but her new crutches, he wanted to help, but there wasn't much he could do right now, since contact with the physical world was impossible.

She looked at the tape player, seeing that the tape already in the player, but not fully in yet. It said 'Gift Shop, Tuesday', and she grinned. "It's this week, this has to be it!" So she pushed it fully in and took hold of the remote for the player, watching as the surveillance footage become evident on the screen. She fast-forwarded the tape to later on in that Tuesday, and it showed Stan restocking the shelves.

Dipper's eyes light up, Stan had told the truth! "Ha! There it is! Stan restocking like he said, and the date shows it was last night. It's proof! He's innocent!"

Mabel grinned, looking at him. "See, you should never have doubted him!" But suddenly Dipper's face fell slightly, and she turned back to the screen, where Stan was sneaking out of the shack at around 7 pm.

With slight panic in her eyes, Mabel fast-forwarded the tape a few hours, yet their grunkle hadn't returned. "Um... Maybe he's just going to the bathroom outdoors, the way nature intended!" But she started to feel doubt as the surveillance footage got to 5 am in the morning, with no sign of Stan until... a figure in a hazmat suit wheeled in barrels of radioactive waste... just like the agents had said.

Dipper looked at the tape in horror. "Oh no... Stan... You didn't..."

Mabel hesitated, trying to keep both of their trust in him. "Don't panic... That could be anyone in that suit!"

On the video the figure dropped a barrel on his foot, crying out in pain. "Gah! Hot Belgian waffles!" Then they looked around. "Wait, I'm alone. I can swear for real! SON OF A-!"

Mabel quickly shut off the tape while Dipper winced. "That's him, alright..."

Mabel looked at Dipper desperately, not knowing what to think about this. They'd basically just proven that the agents had been _right_. "Okay, okay... So maybe Grunkle Stan stole some toxic waste. that doesn't mean he's leading a nefarious double life!" She noticed a box under the TV screen. "Here, I'll prove it. There has to be something in here!" Mabel pulled out the box and put it on the table, turning on a lamp, Dipper practically walking her body for her.

She opened it up, hoping to find some kind of proof that Stan was really using the waste for a good purpose or something like that, but the bad news just kept on coming, as the first thing she picked up from the box was a fake ID.


	30. Chapter 28 The Final Countdown

This will be the last chapter I have any authors notes on of the spree week, so I'll take the chance to talk about why the chapters are so spaced out. I like to show the characters feeling and emotions, so I apologise to those of you who like to just get a progressive story. Also, I never consider these chapters to be short, since they are all more than 2,000 words per chapter, and it takes me more than three hours to write each one. I'm sorry to those of you that feel differently, but I have my ways of writing.

* * *

 **Chapter 28**

 _The Final Countdown_

* * *

Mabel couldn't believe it as she looked through the IDs. "Stetson Pinefield? Hal Forrester? Andrew '8-Ball' Alcatraz?"

Dipper looked at her, biting his lip slightly. "These are fake IDs, Mabel! You wouldn't need there unless you were trying to hide your real identity!"

She shook her head, not wanting to believe it. "But why would Stan do that?" The girl noticed something other than an ID in the box, a newspaper clipping, so she picked it up and opened it. Her heart stopped dead in its tracks. The headline of the clipping read 'STAN PINES DEAD'. She showed Dipper the clipping with slightly trembling hands.

He's eyes widened as he looked at it. "What?! Stan Pines _Dead_?"

Mabel read a bit from the article, trying to find some kind of explanation. "Foul play suspected in Pines' death. Fiery car crash, brakes cut... by who?" She threw the clipping down, not wanting to believe a word it said.

Dipper couldn't believe it either. _This... can't be real. If Stan Pines is dead, then who have we been living with?_ Just looking at the fake IDs were giving him a headache... Wait... Something sparked behind his eyes, causing him to cry out slightly, letting go of Mabel and clutching his head as images played behind his eyes. _No no no no! I can't have another episode, not right now!_ He concentrated as hard as he could, trying to stop the images, and luckily it was working, the information slowly draining out before it could break the banks of his mind, though he still saw something.

 _He saw Stan pushing someone into a portal, though he couldn't pick them out, the vision starting to become fuzzy._

Dipper's head was clearing, and he quickly looked around to see if he'd gone berserk like the last time, thankfully, nothing had happened. Except Mabel was on the floor, grimacing slightly from the way she was sitting, and he quickly pulled her back up to her feet. "Sorry..."

She shook her head. "No. You don't need to apologise. What... happened?"

"I saw something. I think. Stan was... he was attacking someone. And I'm not sure... Stan is who we think he is. That newspaper article said he was dead, right? So who have we been living with? It doesn't make any sense."

Mabel looked at him. "But... There has to be some explanation..."

Dipper put a hand to his head, the remains of his headache vanishing. "I can't believe it. This whole summer I've been looking for answers and the biggest mystery was right under our nose."

Mabel closed her eyes, sighing before she tried rummaging through the box for something that could prove them to them that Stan was doing this for the right reason. "Ugh, there's gotta be some kind of explanation in here somewhere..." She found a piece of paper that displayed some numbers and letters. "What the... 'secret code to hideout?'"

"Let me see that." Dipper carefully took a hand off of her, and clicked his fingers, he summoned his flame and held it close to the piece of paper she was holding, trying to see if there was a message in invisible ink, none. "A1, B, C3... I've never seen a code like this." He could find it pretty easy to recall the pages of the journal now, his memory had improved greatly, him finding it easier to remember stuff he'd seen even before becoming a demon, and yet, he couldn't remember seeing any code like of that on the paper that was mentioned in the journal.

However Mabel soon remembered one place she did remember a code like that before, the one place they always got there candy from. "Wait, I have! Dipper, it's the vending machine!"

Dipper frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, it's the only reasonable place! Come on, we need to go now!" Mabel glanced around the room for her crutches, before getting Dipper to help her move to them, and she picked them up, using them instead of Dipper since she had to be mobile again. And then they were soon out the door, moving as fast as they could to the vending machine.

However, when they got there, Soos was standing against the machine, which raised many questions. "Soos?" Mabel shouted to him, startling him slightly.

"Mabel! I thought you were still at the hospital?"

Mabel looked at him for a second. "What are you doing here? And... How did you even get past those government guys?"

Soos stood proudly. "Oh, those dudes? They all took off for some reason, took the opportunity to get in, since Stan gave me a mission to protect this machine! Ha! And I thought I loved snacks."

Mabel shook her head slightly, she needed to get him to understand. "Soos, listen. Something huge is going on here. Me and Dipper think that Stan is hiding some dangerous secret, and we need to find out what it is. I need you to step aside so we can prove that this is all just a big misunderstanding."

Soos took the slightly opportunity to acknowledge that Dipper was there with them, before he answered. "Guys, I know this seems crazy, but I promised Stan I would guard this with my life."

Mabel sighed slightly, knowing there was no other way, so she glanced over at Dipper, who nodded to her. "I'm sorry, Soos." She said before holding one of her crutches at her side, making sure it didn't fall before taking some glitter out of her pocket and blowing it right in Soos' face and getting it in his eyes.

"Aah!" He cried out, clutching his face for a second. "Attack glitter, it's pretty but it hurts!"

Then Mabel rammed into Soos, trying to push past him, not even caring that her casted ankle was starting to hurt like crazy from the pressure she was putting it under as she climbed on Soos and kicked him in the face.

"Aww, c'mon, I don't wanna fight you! This hurts me way more than it hurts you!" She whacked him with her crutches a few times as she crawled over him. "Ah! Seriously, it hurts me way more than it hurts you!"

Dipper was watching the fight with a nervous expression, floating by them to make sure that Mabel, and in essence, Soos, weren't getting hurt... Well, not too badly anyway.

Mabel could feel tears in her eyes as she kicked with her casted leg for the second time, nearly able to reach the number pad of the vending machine from behind Soos. _Come on... Just a little further..._ She gritted her teeth through the pain as she stretched, entering the code, crying out as the vending machine swung forward throwing her and Soos back.

Dipper caught her as she was frown back, luckily, and put her back on her feet as she picked up her crutches that had fallen.

Mabel looked forward, along with both Dipper and Soos, and they all gasped, seeing the secret passage behind the machine. They all looked at each other, not saying a word as they began down the stairs to the underground elevator, Dipper making Mabel levitate slightly so she didn't need to struggle down the stairs on crutches.

Soos looked around as he led the way. "It's like something from a video game..."

"Or a dream..." Mabel murmured.

"...Or a nightmare." Dipper said quietly to himself, his mind conflicted over this.

They were going down the elevator now, and when it landed at the bottom floor and the doors opened, they all gasped. Standing in front of them was a huge lab, a glowing portal evident behind a screen of glass, and a countdown that said less than three minutes.

Dipper could feel it, the power. It was coming from that portal, and he remembered it. It was the same portal from his first vision, and from the one that Stan... or whoever he was, pushed someone into. He could feel the power trying to overwhelm him again, like when the gravity cancelled itself, but it was nowhere near as strong, it was just centred on that portal, nothing else, and yet...

"Dude, I can see you!" Soos was looking at him, which just confirmed what Dipper had already suspected seconds before. He was physical, almost ceritinally because of the power coming from the underground place.

"Yeah... I guess... I'm physical..." Dipper murmured, but even he wasn't happy about that, he was just... confused about what was going on. They all were, the revelation that Dipper had turned physical again didn't have that punch it should have had, everyone was just... overwhelmed by the room, and that moment was soon lost to what other thoughts they all had.

"Guys, are we dreaming? Somebody wake me up." Mabel murmured as she glanced around the room.

"This... can't be real..." Dipper said quietly, not knowing what he should think, thoughts starting to get jumbled slightly in his head because of the portal.

Soos looked around in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would Mr. Pines have all this?"

"It's just like that bunker in the woods..." Dipper couldn't help but compare, but why would Stan be doing this?

"But what is it doing underneath the Mystery Shack?"

Mabel stopped, trying to release some of the tension. "Okay, okay, so he's got a huge gigantic lab. This doesn't mean anything bad! Everyone's got secrets!" She spotted a picture of her and Dipper on the table, making her smile slightly, though it was faded. "It's still Stan and he loves us, and we love him. Right?"

"It can't be... it's impossible." Dipper was murmuring, not listening to a word she'd just said, because his eyes were focused on the two journals that were laying on the table. "The other two journals? All this time... all this time, Stan had them?!" He felt his anger spike. How could he have been so stupid! "I can't believe it! Was anything he said to use real?!" He kicked the desk in fury. "Why would he have those journals?!"

Soos offered a suggestion. "Maybe he's the author."

Dipper's eyes narrowed. "Or maybe he stole them from the author! Maybe the reason he has all those fake IDs is because he is a master criminal, and this machine is his master plan!" He looked over at Mabel, anger still evident in his eyes. "Do you have my journal?" He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but it made her jump slightly, though she quickly relaxed as much as she could in the current situation, and nodded, taking it out from under her sweater and handed it to him.

Dipper took it from her and opened it to the page he'd noticed once before, but now it made so much more sense. He opened the other two journals and sure enough he found a page just like it, the pages that when put together, displayed the portal before them. He clicked his fingers and gasped, seeing the text that was being displayed. Dipper read it allowed. "I was wrong the whole time, the machine was meant to create knowledge but it is too powerful. I was deceived, and now it is too late. The device if fully operational, could tear our universe apart!" He paled slightly, and the others gasped. "It must not fall into the wrong hands. If the clock ever reaches zero, our universe is doomed."

He looked up at countdown, it now read one minute and thirty seconds. Which meant, they had one minute and thirty seconds to stop the end of the world. Dipper didn't know how to react, and Mabel didn't know either.

Soos was the one to react first, by shrieking. "It's the final countdown! Just like they always sung about!" Count on Soos to react like that.

* * *

Now, I need to get ready for my marathon of Gravity Falls with my friends, hopefully I'll be able to turn them into fallers after watching all 38 episodes in one day... ha! I better. And just a warning for future chapters. Those of you who are excited for Ford's arrival, just hear this, once he comes, the focus will never be on him. This is a story that focuses on Dipper and him struggling to get to grips with his new found abilities. There will be interacts between he and Dipper, but it will never do anything more than show their relationship and how it changes, at least, if I don't decide to change my plans.


	31. Chapter 29 Internal War

**Chapter 29**

 _Internal War_

* * *

It was like that countdown was ticking inside Dipper's head. They only had one minute and a half to shut it down?! His mind went onto overdrive, thinking up what to do, so he quickly flicked through his journal, finding a page he hadn't thought much off before. It read 'Manual Override', and now he understood what it was talking about. The page was talking about the portal. His eyes darted at the page, seeing that they had to turn 3 keys at once. "The agents were right, we have to shut it down!"

He narrowed his eyes slightly in concentration, running through the door to the portal, Mabel stumbling slightly behind him and followed by Soos. The ground was shaking, they had to stop it now! Dipper could practically see the energy following outwards of the room, and his head was starting to scream at him. _No, keep it open!_ Dipper ignored those thoughts, he had to shut it down. _If I don't it'll destroy the world!_

Dipper looked over at portal, it was so close to activation, thirty seconds already used up, just a minute left. _We need to shut it down now! No, keep it open!_ Too sides of his mind were challenging each other now, but he was concentrated on shutting it down.

He spotted a station to the right of them that said 'Manual Override'. "There! Quick!" He pointed, this was it! He ran over to it, glancing back to make sure the others were following him. Dipper pointed to the keys. "Turn these, together!"

Mabel kept hold of one of the crutches, reaching for her key with a free hand.

Soos reached for his.

But Dipper's hand trembled slightly as he reached for his. _YOU NEED TO LET IT ACTIVATE! YOU NEED TO GET THAT POWER! WHEN GRAVITY FALLS AND EARTH BECOME SKY- NO! TURN THE KEY, YOU NEED TO TURN THE KEY!_ The struggle within his mind was starting to get to him, yet he managed to turn the key with the others.

An alarm sounded once, a device near the centre of the room popped open to reveal a large red button. Dipper's eyes went foggy for a second, he was finding it hard to think quite straight. "That's it! The shut down switch!" They all ran over to the switch, Mabel lagging behind slightly since she was on crutches.

Dipper looked at the button, his hand trembling again as his mind screamed at him to stop. But he clenched it for a second, focusing on the task at hand, the journal wouldn't lie, this was dangerous. "This all stops... now!" He slammed his hand down on the button, but just before it touched, Stan came bursting through the door, making him pause.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT BUTTON!" The man shouted, standing in the doorway, panting. He must have ran all the way there. After regaining his breath for a second, he walked forward. "Dipper... Just back away." He'd heard from Mabel that Dipper could turn physical at times, so he wasn't that surprised by the boys appearance, but why did it have to be now, of all times?

Dipper narrowed his eyes at the man that he'd used to trust, but now that trust had shattered like a vase he didn't want to pick up or fix. He didn't move his hand from the button, keeping it suspended just above.

Stan stepped towards him. "Please, don't press that shut down button, you gotta trust me."

A spike of anger, had he really just asked him to trust him after all this?! "And I should trust you why?! After you stole radioactive waste? After you lied to us all summer?! I don't even know who you are!" _YOU CAN'T TRUST HIM, JUST PUSH THE BUTTON! NO, TRUST HIM, DO ANYTHING, JUST KEEP IT OPEN! OPEN SO YOU CAN GET THAT POWER!_

"Look, I know this all seems nuts, but I need that machine to stay on! If you'd just let me explain-" He looked at a device on his wrist as it beeped, just at the exact time that Dipper felt the portal's power start to pulse again. "Uh-oh, oh, no! Brace yourselves!" And gravity cut off, exactly like the last time.

However this time, since Dipper was physical now, it effected him just it had done to Mabel, as well as how it had effected him last time. _YES YES YES! THAT POWER IS AMAZING! SEE? THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP IT OPEN!_ He couldn't help it, he laughed slightly as he watched the others start to leave the floor like him. It seemed to last forever, showing no sign of stopping, which just made him crave that power more. _Maybe I should keep it open... This... Is... Amazing!_ He could see it, the counter was at thirty five seconds now, was it really still that long? Time seemed really slow for him.

Dipper swam in the air, finding his ability of floating to be no use to him when he was already floating by default. He grabbed hold of a beam of wood with a crooked smile on his face, licked his lips slightly before his face fell, some sense returning to him. _DOESN'T THAT SEEM DEMONIC? SEE, THIS PORTAL IS MAKING YOU LOOSE IT! YOU NEED TO TURN IT OFF! NO, KEEP IT OPEN!_ He looked over at Mabel, who was suspended in the air, however she was stopped going any further because her good ankle was hooking a bit of wire near the stand where the shut down switch was, her crutches were nowhere to be seen, probably floating somewhere above them. _SEE? MABEL CAN SHUT IT DOWN, SHE CAN!_

"Mabel! Hurry! Shut it down!" Dipper cried to her, just before he clutched his head. _WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON'T TELL HER THAT, DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING! JUST LET IT HAPPEN! DON'T YOU WANT THIS POWER? THIS IS ANY DEMON'S DREAM COME TRUE!_

He winced, watching as Mabel did as he said, and began to crawl along the wire towards the button, but Stan tried to swim towards her and stop her. "No! Mabel, Mabel, wait! Stop! Aah!" But Soos collided with him, knocking him away from Mabel. The old man looked at the young man. "Soos, what're you doing?!" He hit Soos on the head to try and get him off. "I gave you an order!"

But Soos wouldn't budge, holding onto the man. "Sorry, Mr. Pines, if that is your real name, but I have a new mission now! Protecting these kids!"

Stan glared at him slightly, starting to panic, the portal couldn't shut down, he'd worked too hard! "Soos, you idiot, let me go!" He hit him again, but soon Dipper collided with him after pushing off the support beam. True, Dipper could probably push the button himself with all the power he had, but his mind felt so conflicted, that he couldn't make any sense to use that power, all he could think to do was to help Mabel do it. _KEEP IT OPEN! SHUT IT DOWN! YOU HAVE TO SHUT IT DOWN, TELL MABEL NOW! "_ Go! Mabel, press the red button! Shut it down!" But Stan pushed him out of the way, desperately trying to keep it open. "No, you can't! You gotta trust me!"

Dipper was going to yell for her to listen, but the sound off sobbing stopped him, it was the only thing her heard besides the screaming in his head.

"Grunkle Stan," She was crying, confused and heartbroken that she had to choose between her brother and her uncle. "I don't even know... if you're my grunkle! I wanna believe you, but-"

"Then listen to me. Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?"

It was at the twenty second mark now, and a surge of power coming from the portal pushed Stan, Soos, and Dipper back, who was almost completely out of it, not able to focus on anything anymore, let alone try and get Mabel to press the button. _LET IT STAY OPEN! NO, CLOSE IT CLOSE IT CLOSE IT! LET IT FULLY ACTIVATE, IT NEEDS TO! FOR THE WORLD TO SEE WHAT YOUR REALLY MADE OF! WANT TO PROVE YOURSELF AS A DEMON? DON'T DO ANYTHING! DON'T LISTEN TO IT, LISTEN TO ME! SHUT IT DOWN! STAN HAS TO BE LYING, YOU NEED TO TELL MABEL TO SHUT IT DOWN!_

Mabel was getting ready to press the button, but Stan started to talk, while he was pressed against the wall. "I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me, and some of them are true, but trust me. Everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family!"

"Please... what if he's lying? This thing could... destroy... the universe." Dipper was talking, but his eyes were closed, he was murmuring his words just loud enough for her to hear.

"Look into my eyes, Mabel! You really think I'm a bad guy?"

Dipper's voice hardened for a second and his eyes opened. "Shut it down NOW!" He yelled, just before his eyes rolled back and his consciousness went swimming again, trying to calm the internal fight between human and demon. _SHUT IT DOWN! SHUT IT DOWN! NO, KEEP IT OPEN! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT! YOU WANT THAT POWER! EVERY DEMON DOES! YOUR NOT A DEMON, YOU DON'T NEED POWER! THIS THING IS GOING TO DESTROY THE UNIVERSE! IT NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN!_

"Mabel, please!" Stan said, his eyes pleading for her to listen.

Ten. Nine.

Mabel felt torn. Who could she choose? She was worried about Dipper, he looked spaced out and his eyes were shut, body twitching slightly. Maybe it was the portal doing that to him? But Stan said that she had to trust him... She'd trusted him the whole summer, something had to be up. This couldn't be the clear cut truth.

Eight. Seven.

Mabel looked at Dipper, then to Stan, her face heartbroken with tears. "Grunkle Stan..."

Six. Five.

Her hands trembled slightly, before letting go.

Four. Three.

I'm _sorry Dipper, but this is the right thing to do, it has to be._ "I trust you."

 _YES, YES! SEE? SEE? WHEN GRAVITY FALLS AND EARTH BECOME SKY... WHEN GRAVITY FALLS AND EARTH BECOME SKY... NO! NO! MABEL'S CRAZY! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!_

Two. One.

There was an explosion of light as the machine activated, causing everyone to scream.

 _SEE DIPPER? WHEN GRAVITY FALLS AND EARTH BECOME SKY, FEAR THE BEAST WITH JUST ONE EYE! HAHA! THOUGH HE'S OUT OF ACTION NOW ISN'T HE? YOU NEED TO TAKE UP HIS TASK, FULFIL THE PROPHECY!_

The explosion of light enveloped the whole of Gravity Falls, before gravity resumed it's hold on the town, and everything came crashing down.

Dipper could feel that his head was clearer, but he felt shaky and terrified. The portal had activated, his demon side had won the battle, what did that mean? _SEE? THE WORLD ISN'T DESTROYED NOW ISN'T IT? AND DON'T YOU FEEL STRONGER?_ He had to admit, he felt stronger than he had at the start of the day, at least twice as strong, and the power of the machine wasn't doing it, all that energy had concentrated into the source, the portal, which was now in tatters, just a bunch of broken bits of wire and metal, however it was still functional, and glowing a bright blue.

He glanced over at Mabel, seeing she was on the floor, grimacing as she got up, her cast was cracked from the fall, and she looked in a lot of pain. Dipper was getting up now too, shaking his head to clear it some more, just as he saw someone coming out of the portal. _What... Who is that? OH RIGHT, I FORGOT ABOUT HIM... YOU'LL NEED TO DEAL WITH HIM FIRST. Wait what... are you talking about?_

The figure was tall, and his face was covered by a scarf and some goggles. He was wearing a long black cloak. Dipper watched in stunned silence as the figure walked up to one of the journals, it must have fallen on the floor, and put it in his coat pocket, after picking it up with a _six_ fingered hand.

"Who... Who is that?" Dipper managed.

Stan looked up at the figure, a mixture of happiness and wonder in his voice, and utter shock that it had worked. "The author of the journals..."

The man pulled off his goggles to reveal a face that looked near identical to Stan's.

"...my brother."


	32. Chapter 30 How It All Started

**Chapter 30**

 _How It All Started_

* * *

How could someone respond after something like that?

Dipper didn't know, he just stared right ahead at the person in front of them, just as he levelled a gun to his head.

"Stan, you idiot!" The man muttered angrily, though he kept his gun pointed at Dipper. "You didn't even read my warnings, I put them there to keep demons like _this_ from finding the portal!"

Dipper didn't know what to think. The man he idolised, the one who he had tried to find for so long, was trying to kill him. _No, that wouldn't be right. A shot to the head wouldn't kill me, right? Nothing would now, I'm immortal right? It wouldn't kill me, but it would probably hurt a LOT, especially since I'm physical right now. But why... is he doing it?_

Stan was running up to him. "Wait, wait! He's not a danger, I swear. Please, lower the gun, we need to just talk."

The author looked away for second, eyes narrowed. "Really? You expect to just talk after what you did thirty years ago!?" He looked back to the demon in front of him. "And as far as I know, all demons are dangerous. You shouldn't trust them, and the fact that it's physical right now means that someone made a deal with it, and I'm not eliminating you from the list of suspects."

Stan grabbed hold of his arm to try and pull him away. "But have you even considered the possibility that he isn't a demon? He's one of Shermy's grand kids, along with her!" He pointed to Mabel, who was struggling to her feet, being helped by Soos, who seemed like he was about to faint from shock.

The brother frowned slightly, looking Mabel, then to Dipper, they were obviously fraternal twins, and he could see the family resemblance on the boys face, but why... _Why do I feel like I'm looking at Bill Cipher? This boy obviously isn't him... maybe possession? No, the eyes are different from possession, yet they're not human either._

"You're... the author of the journals..." Dipper managed to say, his eyes wide.

The author looked at him with a different expression, no longer a look of anger and hate, a bit of curiosity. _Why would a demon bother with my journals? And even he they did, they'd know I was the author, Bill would have told them._ "You've read my journals?"

Excitement was seen sparking behind the boys eyes. "Read them... I've... I've lived them! I've been waiting for so long to meet you, I have so many questions!"

The man slowly lowered his gun, this was no demon in front of him, this was just a kid. He put it back in his holster, shaking his head slightly. "I apologise for jumping to conclusions, I haven't been in this dimension for a really long time."

He stepped away from Dipper, still unsure about him because of what he looked like, but what did he know? He hadn't been there for thirty years, it it could just be some strange fashion thing. "Now, Stan, are there any security breaches, does anyone else know about the portal?"

Stan had relaxed slightly, so he crossed his arms. "No, just us. Also maybe the entire U.S. government."

His brother looked at him. "The what?!" He looked at one of the security camera's down in the basement.

The agents were surrounding the house again, Powers was seen issuing orders. "Fan out! We're not going anywhere till we find Stan Pines and those kids!"

He sighed, taking out the journal he'd picked up. "Okay, it's all right. We've got a while before they find this room." The man began to write in the book, updating a few of his entries with what he'd learned in his years away. "We just need to lay low and think of a plan."

Dipper was looking at the Author in amazement, but he was also concerned. _But... It was the demon part of me that wanted the portal to stay open, that means it's bad right? And how come it hadn't destroyed the world, this is the Author, and he had written warnings about the machine! But... It doesn't seem bad..._ He walked up to Mabel and Soos, trying to see if Mabel was alright, and apart from a bit of a crack on her cast that he was sure he'd be able to fix. Which he did, by brushing his hand against her cast, and it fixed itself. She gave him a thankful look, before Dipper passed her her crutches, which he'd found not very far from where they were.

When she was on her feet, she looked at the Author, and then to Stan. "Well, it looks like we're stuck down here for a while. Who wants to tell us their entire mysterious backstory?"

The Author looked up from the journal. "Yes, I have some questions about this myself, Stanley."

That made Dipper and Mabel pause. "Stanley?"

"But your name is Stanford." Mabel added, looking their uncle.

The Author snapped the journal shut, glaring at his brother. "Wait, you took my name?! What have you been doing all these years, you knucklehead?!"

Dipper crossed his arms. "Yeah, Grunkle Stan, no more lies! You owe us some answers. What's the deal with this portal? Why did you keep this a secret?"

"And what happened between you and your brother?" Mabel asked as they all started to surround Stan.

And of course, Soos had to add, "I hope all this aligns exactly with my fanfic, Stan. If not, I will be very disappointed."

Stan sighed. "Okay, okay, okay, I have a lot of explaining to do. It all started... a lifetime ago..."

* * *

After a lot of backstory telling, they all knew the truth.

Stan had gotten kicked out of his home for destroying his brother, Ford's science fair project, preventing him from going to his dream college. He spent time after time in different states, becoming a salesmen to try and strike it rich, however his products were always shoddy and poorly made, causing him to get banded in many off them, and also resulting in him having to change his name and identity all the time, which made the fake ID's Mabel and Dipper had found make a lot more sense.

Ford, however, had gone to a rubbish college, but he was still able to get 12 PhD's three years ahead of schedule, and got an enormous grant. From there, he decided to study the weird and supernatural, going to the place with the highest concentration of weirdness, none other than Gravity Falls. And he soon decided to catalogue his findings in his journals, which the very mention of their creation causing a little freak out by Dipper.

Ford told about how he started to build the portal, a gateway to the source of Gravity Falls' weirdness. He got his old college buddy, Fiddleford McGucket, to help him build it, but after a test of the machine went wrong, he left, leaving Ford on his own.

He told about how he told Stan to come to his shack, and how he told him to take Journal 1 far away. Which led to a fight between the two brothers, the end result being Stan accidentally pushing Ford into the portal, where he'd been for the thirty years.

And all the time since, Stan had been trying to open up the portal again and bring Ford back. Taking Stanford's name and faking a car crash to get rid of his old life, he turned Ford's house into the Mystery Shack.

But even after all of this, Dipper still felt something was missing. _I still don't know why the portal had that effect on me, Stanford didn't explain it very well. How had he even come to that conclusion? He had to have had some help, right? Maybe he'll tell us soon._

And along with this, Dipper felt so stupid for trying to shut the portal down and mistrusting Stan. All he'd been doing was trying to get his family back, and Dipper knew if it had happened to him and Mabel, he'd have done whatever it took to get her back, just like Stan. "So all this time you were just trying to save your brother. Grunkle Stan, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

Stan smiled slightly at him. "That's okay, kid. I probably wouldn't have believed me either."

But then they heard an agent talking from upstairs. "I heard talking! It was coming from downstairs!"

Stan's eyes widened. "Oh no, it's too late, the agents are comin' for us!"

Mabel started to panic slightly. "What do we do?!"

Soos looked around worriedly. "Aw, man. I was so spellbound by your dramatic tale I forgot all about those dudes."

Dipper's eyes widened and he looked at his hands, clenching them. _Forget..._ "I know a way we can defeat those agents." He said simply, Mabel quickly catching his eye.

"Dipper... Your not thinking..."

He nodded to her quickly. "You all need to stay down here, I'll take care of this." He began to walk to the door. _If I'm going to get those agents to leave us alone, they'll need to forget all of this, and with such a large group, I doubt I'll be able to erase the memory of all of them like this. I'll need to take it one step forward, just as long as it won't be dangerous to them._

But Stan took a step to him. "Kid, what are you doing?!"

Dipper looked at him for a second, a spark of fire in his eyes. "All of you won't be able to get those agents to go away, but I can. You can't stop me, have you got a better idea?"

Ford looked at them in slight confusion. "And what do you mean to do that we can't?"

Dipper paused in his walk. "We might not have been completely honest with you." He summoned a small flame in his hand, which made Ford tense and start to reach for his weapon. He extinguished the flame quickly after, his voice falling slightly. "I'm a demon, but not like any other. You can try and shoot me later, but let me save my family first." And he walked to the door, listening as Ford started to yell at Stan for not being honest with him, or why he would trust Dipper in the first place.

Dipper sighed as he got to the elevator, stepping inside and pressing the button to go up. He didn't know what to think of Ford. One part of him was amazed and thrilled with meeting the Author, but another apart of him was unsure and angry at him for risking the lives of others by building his portal. He could feel that Ford himself felt unsure about Dipper, even when he hadn't truly known he was a demon, but Dipper had just confirmed it and it had shown Ford's true colours. _He didn't even need a chance to get to know me, for me to show that I'm not like Bill, not like any of the other demons out there, I need to be wary of him._

The elevator was opening now, and he stepped out, walking slowly up the stairs. He could hear the agents around the house now, it sounded like they'd just found out about the vending machine, they were trying to get it open. _Okay, I don't have much time, I have to do it now. I need to get rid of this excess power, or its going to start driving me nuts. Not that it hasn't already._ Then he winced, hearing shouting in his head again. _THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN! ARE YOU READY TO HAVE SOME FUN?_ He shut down his defences he'd put up, opening up his mind to the power he had, and demonic thoughts started to swarm him as his demonic form started to overtake him.

He was at the door now, waiting for them to break it open. He was going to give them a surprise. _ThIs Is GoInG tO bE fUn!_ Thoughts were solid and not jumbled, both sides of his mind at piece, the demon excited to have some fun, and the human preparing to protect his family. _DoN't Be To RoUgH, jUsT a LiTtLe ScArE... aNd A mEmOrY wIpE... I wOn''T eVeN nEeD tO mAkE a DeAl ThIs TiMe!_ Alcor chuckled slightly, a smile playing on his lips.

The demon watched and waited, listening for the exact time when the vending machine would pull back, they crack the code evenutally. He heard the click, causing another chuckle, trailing a clawed hand across the wall as he waited. Then the machine pulled back, and an agent in a hazmat soot jumped back, a little startled to find someone behind the door.

Alcor gave him a wide smile. "H̡̙̪͕͚ͧ̑͋ͣ̇͌͡Ḛ͔̟̬̣͙̘̋͂͋͑ͤͤ͡L͌͒̔ͩͯ̌͛̋҉̟̩̱̞̬̪̫̯L̨̜̳͖̻̄ͫ̉͘Ŏ̞̻̰̺̪̺̩̹̬͆ͣ̿̔ͮ̇͘͝"

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Hello


	33. Chapter 31 The Monster Inside

**Chapter 31**

 _The Monster Inside_

* * *

The shock was evident on the agents face, even though Alcor couldn't actually see his face. That hazmat suit was really annoying, he was probably going to rip it off the guy soon, just so he could see the full effect he was having on the man.

"Who the..." He heard murmured, muffled because of the suit, which just produced a small laugh from the demon.

"J̩̯͉̬͖̦̘ͬ̓̎͐͐ͯṲ͕̘͚̳͖̍ͫ̿͆͑S̹͖͖͓͎̔Tͣ͛͗ͭ̚҉ ͆͠A ̯͔̝̚G̎ͭ́͊ͦÙ̵̪̟͋̋̏̓͊̇Y̳̜̟̯͍̲̑ͯ̌ ̪̥̞̗͈̱̓̍̅H̹͈̯͎̽͆̅͗̍̈͡ͅOͩ̅ͤͥͪ̽̕P̫̭̬̠͓ͤ̄͗̂̌ͅIͭ̊͒͆͆̉ͤN̂͗ͬ̆҉͓̮͍͖͉͍G̜̪̼̍̔̊̊̌̚̚ ̱̬ͩ͒ͥ̓ͥ̑́T̡̟̤̞̎̅̈ͤͯǪ̻̲̻͆ ̣̰̳͈̖̎̋͋͑ͦ̚H̟̜̥͖̲̬̙̽ͯ͌̿́̈́ͨ̀A̫͖̜͓̹͐ͧV̱̂E̷̿̓ͬ̓ ̪̭͛ͨ̋̉͊̂̅A̷ͨ̆͊ͥ ͉̫̝̠̌͊́L̫̫̣̱͌̆̑͠I̻̣̝̻̖̼͘T̫̩̺̋̀̈́T̹̫L̶̲͚͖̰̝̤̹ͦ̓́͂̌ͩE̝̳̯̤̤̙̗͗͊ ͚̤͉̲̱̖̅̾͊̂͑̊̊F̉͛ͭͣ̿͗͡U̧̺̺͍̣̲̥ͮ͑N͂̏̄ͬ.͕͕̩͓̞͋̊͂̎̚" He said simply as he stepped out from the stairway, closing the vending machine back to its natural position. Alcor stepped forward, his movements quick and careful, just before he grabbed hold of the man. He gave him a crazy smile, before digging his fingernails into the man's suit, and tore it off him like a knife going through butter, easy. The demon dropped the man to the floor after that, hearing him panting for breath, eyes wide in alarm and fear.

Alcor gave him a clap. "Tͦͨ͂͏H̟̳̙̱̘ͤ̆̓̒͝Ä̺̬́͂Ť͖̳̯͋̓ͤ͒ͣͅ'͔̲̥̮̙̠ͪͥ́S̳̃ͤ̽ ̛̜͖̰̮̪͈͑̃͗ͫͦ̚ͅW̗͓͖̉H̭̠͕̠̰͙̥́̇ͮA̮̜ͬͭ̓T͉̿̋̑ͬͦ̈ ͍͉̫̽̒͢I̙̯̟͓͓͔̰͛͒ ̻͍̔ͨ̕W̢͙Ȁ͉̘͍̘̞͇̾͞S̘̰̦̩͔̏̿̊̒ͮ ̼̪͍̖ͬͨ̄̂ͤ̔̍͟L̝̻̥͙̗̩̠͝O͉͈͓̤̥͆̏ͮͭͨ̚Ō͙͖̭͌͊͐̈́Ḵ̖̙͓̳͜ͅI͈͚͙̹̫͇̓͑͊ͮͭN̶͍͎̼͖̐ͯ̾̽Gͤ͜ ̙̬̯̫̈́̓F͇͔̮̗̱ͯͯͩ̏ͯO̎̓̉҉̱͇͙̺͚̳̱R͑ͨ͆̔̆̓҉̯̠͕̝̬ͅ!͡ ̲̫͖͈͚͗͛͡F̬E͉͚̊͂͆̀A̴̗̳̣̳͙̖R̛͔̪͓̺̮͒̿.̩͍̯̺̰ͭ͡"

He watched the man go for his earpiece, so he quickly broke it off, chuckling. "T̪̼͝H̶̲͉͙̓͂̽̓E̗̬ͯ͑͊̑͢R̰̹̽ͮĚ̹͔̇̈̀̽̒ͮ'͇̙ͭ̂̃̂ͅSͪ͡ ̤̣̞́̿ͮN͓̺̠̻̹̺̪O͂҉̻ ̙̼̝̐̒ͤ̉ͮͮͫN͋ͮ̕Ȩ̤̲̉̂̍́̌ͬȄ̲͗̓͋ͨ̍D͇̝͓͓̲̔ͧ͑̀ ͅṰ̨̺̤̜͖͎̜̔̈́ͮ̈̌̅O͈̹̖̱̣̬ͨ ̶͕Ǎ̮̻̗̱̱͉̼̈̋̀̐̄͟L̗͈̯̼͊̉͐̅E̪̮̻͕̙̼̯͂̽̕R̨ͥ̅̓̀T̢̪̼͓̖̟̖ ͕̠̰̻̯͆ͨ͗ͮ̈́ͪṰ̤̪̯͉̼̑ͫ̎͛ͫ̃̈H̠͕̝͚̓͗͐ͮE̲̬ ̡̳̜̫̩̊Ǫ͉͎̈́͛̉̽T̺͎͔̘͑̾̌̂ͯͫH̥̃͆͐ͪ̏Ȩ̮̝̊ͣ̈́͆ͩ͂̆R̢͚͈͓̒̏͂̓Sͫ̽̑҉̫̟̳̯,̧̫̉̂̑̏̐ͨ ̅̈́ͣ̈́̏ͧ͠I̧͓̯̫̅ͦͦ̓'̤͓̬͕̮̰̦L͍͎͈̳̩̟̹̊̀L̞̹̳͙̘͙͙͐̀ ̥͈͕̀͐̿̉ͬ̑B̻̎ͪ̒ͩȄ̱̖̱̝̻ͪ̽̇̅ ̣ͤG̫̺ͬ̄̐ͤĚ͖͕̯̍T́̃̈̂͠T̜̳̱́I̤͓͖̗̤̼͕ͥ͆̆͂͑̅͟N̻͙ͮͪ͌͋G̭̖͇̣̓̄͊̔̃̏͛ ̼̩̿͊̀̀T̝̥̘̭̳͕̫̄͒ͭ͐͗̐Ơ̇͌ͣ̿͊͊ ̠̠͇͙͈̈͊ͭ̋͑̚T̴͚͓͎̝̦̞͔Ḫ̬̯ͪE͔̗̲̼͚̳̜ͣ̃̍M͕̖͓͋̾͒̌ ͉̫̰̺̽͋́S͓̰̼͖̲̉̓̓O̩O͚̻̺N ̦̤̣̺̣ͩͫEN̴̙͉̙͓̣̉̄̌̓͋O̲̺͙͙̝ͯͭ̽ͪ͆̌ͅU̝̫̟̜͐̂̇́ͫͥ̾́Ġ͚̥͉̟̱̯͐̈́ͦ̂Ḧ͈̣͕́ͅ.͖̞͍̅̄ͤ̓ ̴̬͕̅ͅS͔̪̆̅͝T̼͛ͬ͗̃͡O͖͕̹̖̮̭͐̈̊̐̉̈̊P ̰̫͇̓̽ͭͦ̒̉̇ͅB̬̱̖̹̝ͩ̈́ͤ̂̓̉͂Ê̘̬̱͍̗͂Î͙̼̻͙̄ͮ̉ͅǸ͓̜͊ͪͩ̑ͯ͗́G͓͔̦͎̹ͧͩ͟ ̣̒̔̑͂͋͡Ä͉͓̹͍̤̖́͛̍̔̐̒ ̖̳̹͕͕̍̊ͧW̼̱̮̘͇̦͊̊̽I̡ͣ̓͋̇͗̏M̫͈̬̻̉͒̈̈P̯̻͍̻̈́ ̜̯͇̝ͫͯ̍͋̆͂ͦ́ͅA͚̞̪̙̣̍ͦ̎͑̅N̢̹D̨̮̦̦̙̞ͫ͌͒ͤ͐ ̪̰̲̪̮̞ͥ͌͌̈́̓͋̎Ṭ̆͋͌ͪ͒͛ͭ̀ͅR͎̗̗̻̗Y̠ͥ̇ͦ͒̕ ̝̩̙͎̐Ǎ͚̩̩͚̖̞̜̑̋̅ͥ̐̅N͈̝̼̳̝̟ͅD̨̀͊̃̇͛́ ̖̔͐͐ͥͬ̇F͈̙͍̤̠Ǐ͚̼͔͉̖̩̝͐̏̇G͖̰̼̳̗̖H̛̖̋ͧ̅T̲ͤ̕ ̥͈͖͓̻̠̑ͫͭ̚M̍̂ͮ̑͠E̷̍̌ ̹̣ͭͤ̈́͌ͪ͌͢O̡̖͛̾ͦ̊̿N̰̩͔̩̫̟̖ͪͧ̆ ̷͓̼͖͕̼͎̎ͧͬ͒Ý̟̲̜͔̺́̊̚̚O͕̩̰̘U̶̒R̂ͨ ̳̘͈̼̣̺̇̉͊̅O͖͈̝̺͎͌̔W̪̣ͬ͆ͅNͯͣ͛͞,͇͖̺̙ͣ̅ ͓̱̗̖̘̬̈̚O͖͕̗͈͖̬͢R̂̓ͦ̽̉ͣ ̼̻̤̬͕̼̠̐̂̇D̑ͣͪͪ͆̍̏҉̲͙͎͇̩O͖̩̜̹͓͉̮̾͋ͨ̎͐͠ ͚̱̹͎̠̞͈͌̏Ŷ̧̳̙̟̺̘̰͋̇͊̓͊͗O̧̘̯̭̥̘̱ͪ̏ͨͦ͂̿U̡͓̖̳̻͈͉̬ͧͩ ̏҉͚̪̘͚̠Wͫͭͩ̎̑̊Ă̅͂҉͖̠N̰̑̀͌ͫ̐͠Ṱ̹̓ ͙͕̱̰͈̠ͣ͜M̛̜̭̰̮̟͛̓͐̉ͪͪ̅Ĕ͈͉̮̩͇̠̘̊̍̀ ͈̬͙͎̻̆ͅT͔̼̅ͯ͛Ó̡͓͉̪̟̼̜̊̽̒̀̈́̌ ̜̆̏̑͋ͯͨE͙͓͇͖͇͇̎͜R̨͈͇͓͕͗̀ͅÅ̵͕̙̱̗͔̠̥̽S̽҉͖̯̲E͉͎ ̱̻̹̪̼̦͑̆͋̿ͭ̎͛Yͬ҉̰͉͚̪̩͍Ǫ̥ͤͪ̈́̃̈̓ͬŲ̜̯̟̻͙̋ͩ̌ͦR̡̠͔̠̠̈̈͊ͧ̑̂ ̣͈̞̙͍͚ͧ͊͋̌M̮̮̱̄̽͐͆͜ͅE͔̤̻̠̤̍̎͗̾M̬̝̳͇̟̓ͤ̌̏ͫ͞O͕̥̙ͨ͌ͦͥȒ̟̗͈̼͕͑͛̽Y͏͚̱͎̦?̠̪ͯ̊̋͝"

The agents eyes widened for a moment, and he lunged at Alcor, though it was weak, and useless, the demon easily able to sidestep it, so the man hit the vending machine instead. Alcor glared at him for a second, before showing a smile that was made all the more creepy because of the yellow glow coming from it against the pitch blackness of his skin. "P̳̱̖̣̲̤ͭͧ͛I̽̓̌̾͢T̼̹̝͉͓ͥ̆̐͋̏̍̔Ḭ̙͈ͮ̓ͦ̂ͤ̆ͥF̤̝U̳̲͇͔͖͚͆ͤͩ̓Ļ̂̽ͭ͗̑,̅҉̭̱͇̺̲ ̫͉̩͕̳̬̽ͮͫ͆̃I̪̘͈ͫ͊͆͂̌̾̚S̝̙̝̩̣ͧ͌̏̄͜Ṇ̫͔̥̱͚̣ͣ̔'̈̄̓ͭ̎ͫT̙ͪ̽ͧ͒̒͝ ̘̟͉̜̰̼̽̓̔̍̓I̻̦͖͇͍̠̲ͥ͛͒ͧ̌̿̆T͓͓͚͖̱̝͊ͤ̓͛ͬ̽?̴̆̀̔ ̠̘̯̝͖ͮ̀̇̈̎ͅW̜̩̙̺͕̜͌ͫ̌ͬ̇E̠̜͉̯ͥͧͪ͒͆L̵̾L͚͈̹̠͉̰͛ͦͧ̓,̙͐ ̮͇̝̭̖͔͔͂͒ͫ̏̉̒́I̵̅̐ͦ͊̌ ͕̭̤̯͙̞̳̀M̪̫̈̇͋͆ͯÎ̺̕G͉̙̏̌̏͒̔͌͠Ḩ̲̩͇̭̒͌T͍͖̗̬ͫ ͉̮̯ͭ̂̌̈͝A҉͉̦S͚͈̰̦̮ ͓̘̫̥̬̅̈̈̒̇ͯWẺ̗̲̭̪͢ͅĹͫ̽̋́L̢̻̲͖̯̜̃ ̧̺̘̹̳̩͚ͫĠ͂̎ͥE̹͎̰̯̪͍̿̊̔͜T̵̪̲̺̱͖̆̾ͤ̇ ̛͇̱͓̪̼͉̂T̿̍͏Ḩ̺̘̝̪ͯI͎͎͕̥̘̼ͯ̍͐ͫ̔͠S̞̳̟̜̦̰ͧ ̥͈̪̭̤̫̈̏ͪ̿̍̔͆O̶͕̗͇͂̋V̮̞͎͉ͣ͗͂̔̀̚̚E̩̟̝̪̭̠̜͆ͤR̰ͥ͒̆ͬ͌ͦ̚͠ ̱͉̬̻̫͈̞̉ͦͦ̅W̨̖ͪͫͬĨ̢̘̹͙͙T͖͎̗̹͊̇H͚͖̟̦̳,̧̺̪̟̬ͮ̍̈͊̃ ̣̙͍̣̼̉ͅI͇̹͚̙̲ͅ ҉͕͉̗̙H̯̤̘͈̹̹ͯA͕ͧͥ̓̃ͧͧ̚V͈̮͖͎̺̠̊̌̈́̆Ȩ̤͉̮̝̬̮͗̓̐́̓ ̬ͣ̾̒̋̓̄̄Aͅ ́̍̐L͎̹͚̒ͮ͂O̫̪̩̝̰ͬ͑̀Ţ̫̏̿ ̛̘̘̹̬̣̬͖͑́T͈̖̲̝̝̍̂O͓̰͙̥̮̬͑̃͛̊̊ ̪̜͕͐̈́ͥ̑ͬT̜͕̻ͭ͑͑͌A̢̼̿̓ͯK̘̖̖̑̓͌ͦͪ̏͒E͓͉ ̶ͫͨ̋̓C̖̲̫̻̦ͭ̒ͪA̡̟R͎̪̮͎̺̙ͮ̏͂̄͞ͅẸ͇̲̈͑͗̃͊̈́ ҉̱̝̘̯̠̭̟Ö͕͖̝͒̉ͫḞ͙̍̎̓̒.̞́ͦ̅ͣ"

The man was dazed, so Alcor easily picked him up by the neck, clawed fingers digging in slightly. It was funny, the agent was grabbing Alcor's arm, trying to get him to let him go, the fear in his eyes was amazing.

Alcor grinned. _ThIs Is FuN... dO rEaLlY hAvE tO jUsT tAkE tHeIr MeMoRiEs? ThAt'S jUsT bOrInG._ _I jUsT nEeD tO gEt ThEm To LeAvE rIgHt? No HaRm In ScArInG tHeM aWaY iNsTeAd..._ He looked at the man still struggling, before throwing him into the next room, causing a few other agents to shout in alarm, and he soon walked in after him.

The demon tilted his head to the side, the grin still plastered to his face. A few agents looked at him as another made sure the one he'd thrown was alright. "Who are you? Identify yourself!" They both pointed a gun at him, waiting for his answer.

But all he did was roll his eyes, clicking his fingers, and causing their guns to set on fire. they instantly cried out, the guns clattering to floor. They stared at him in shock, before trying to grab him, just for him to levitate them off the ground and slamming them into the wall. "O̤͠H̯ ̶̝C̙̭͚͢O͕M̺̮̩̱͔͙̗E͘ ̶̗̬̳͙͔̠̫O̡N̶̬͙͇̪̪,̶̬̠̮͓̲ͅ ̩͚̖̙͢Y҉͔͈̫͚̖̺OU̻̭̙͔͓'̧͈̣̮̬̻ͅRḘ̛̮̰̮ ̡T̵̬̰̦̬̘H̷̻͕͍̖̲͕E ͕̪̬͇G͚̳͈̬͍̯̕O̶V̞̩E͖̲̮̳R̖͓̻͠N̤̫̫̣M̖E̮̜̠͖̮̕N̮͝T̨̟̗ ̷͓͎̜̙͈̺̠A͏R̥͍̰̮Ę̪̜͉N̯̖'̷̯̬Ț̛ ̢̺̠͔̳̞͍Y̲͇̻O̯͡U̷̯̱̟?̩ ͕̖͕̬̥P͍͚̜U̡̗̬T̲ ̬̦̫UP̺̤̫͢ M̹̹̠͈̲̰O̱̘R͔̥̤E̴͇ ͖̻͉͎̼ͅO͚̠͖̩̞F͘ ̜̣͔̩͚̀Ḁ̲ ̰͙͉̫͎̦̖F͖̪̜I̟̠̗͍ͅG͚̟̞͍̗̲H̙̰̹͓̱͖͝T̠!̺͢" He said with a slight frown, watching as one of them started to send a distress call to the other agents.

It made Alcor chuckle. "F̲̖̣͉͠I̖̟͈͖̰̥̾ͣ̂̇ͫͬͮṈ̣̤̫̥̹̰ͨ̈͠E̢̤͇̟̺̯͇̗̾̓ͤͦͮ̾,͓͔̗͉̤͙͋ ̠͉̤̥̖͓̙͂̃ͯ̇̔Ì̔̆F̱̂̆̾ ̠̘̜͊̈Y̯̗͕̻̠̲Ö́̊́Ṳ̢̱ͭ̿̈ͧ̾ͥ̇'̦̥̮̣͖͎̜̾R̲̞̽ͧ́E̬̣ͦ ̦͐̂̌ͦ̈͘T̮̼͊̔ͣ̃̑̈̑́H̦̘͔͍̟ͣͣ͆̏͛ͤĄ͚̇̇̔̀̈́̍T́͆̐͏̭͙̯ͅ ͈̯͕̌ͤ́͡D͓̞͚̙̩͙̦̓̋E̵̞̖̠͒ͫ̅͋̍S̛̭̭͎̹͈͇͑̽P̵͉͉̺̗̲̞̏͋ͩͪ̆̍E̤͈̬͕͔̯̮͛̓ͯ̀͐R̥̼͎̄͆́̓ͩ̇A̹ͯT͈̪̎̚ͅẼ̜͚̹̘̝̅̔̈!̈́̐ ̡̳̿͒ͩ́̂̐Ļ̫̙̝̱̪͆ͥ͊ͥE͈̖͓͉̱̪ͥ̃̌ͭͫ̈̔T͍͖͇̺͠'̬͚̪̱̪̰ͧ́S̔҉ ̢̘̟͇̘̳̻̦Ŝ̢̑̓ͪͬ͆͆ͅÈ̘̬̮Ȩ̦̥͂̉́ ͉͖͕̭͋H͔̤͚͛̏ͪͬ̍̓͌O͇̟̼̹̊ͧ̈́̔ͨ͌̋W̢̱͎͉̗̳͛̾ͅ ̧̯͔̬͑̑M̴̭̠͈͑̈́A̮͍̰̻͌̊ͫ̋N̘̥̫ͨ̓ͤ̋́̂Y̠̺͓̝͙̑̆̈͊̿ ̡̮̝̾̽̉͗ͯͫͨŎ̧̫̦̥̳̍̃̈͌̄F̘̦͖̼͍̋ ͈̣̗̩̤́ͮͩ͊͂ͅͅY̹̼̘͖̘̹ͨ͒͆ͮͅȮ͕̖̜͈̍Ů̞͈̩̠̦R̦̦͂̀̐͋͑̎ ̖̩̅C͍͚̺̻̤͉͇̓͌̄O̴͓͉̞͕ͨ͋M̧̐͐̅̈́͊̾R͍͚͊̉͑ͩĄ̹͐̂D̡̗̼͚Ȅͦͤ̏̃̒̆҉̹̫S̘͕̫̮͎̘ͅ ͔̳͚̳I̗͛̍̊̏͑̈ͯ͝T̔͂̒̔ͫ̿ͤ͏̲̪͖̪͍ ͓̯͍̲͓ͤ̌͒̊̏͌ͬT̂̈́͊̆A̛̹͍̖ͦͨͬͩͬͨ̚K̼͚̠̭ͬͮͩ͊͛͐ͅE͎͍̟̘̊ͤͯ͋͌S̙͖̹͗ ̟͎͊̉ͦ̊̈́̏͠T͑̓͒̅͐ͭͩ҉̬͔͍͎O͕̥͜ ͓͚̺͇Ë̶̲̞̜̑͛͐̐ͬ̐ͅV͡E̦̝̱͆̌N̗͎̭͓͇̯͓̔ͮͮ̍͡ ͓́G͎̲̭̮Ë͈͖̠́ͪͩ̍ͯͬT̎҉̘̺͍̘̟ͅ ̜̘̍̑ͣ͠Ä̷͙͖̮͈̱̻̗ ̝̞̺̱̮̣̭͋ͥ͝S̜͇̒̌̑ͥ̃̋̅Ţ̻̲̜̹͒̀̿͆͐ͣ̌R̕A͕͖̫̍T͕̖͉̫̉̎͢C̶̹̥̮̰̈́H̺͎̾͑.̛ͩͫ̋" This was going to be fun, as long as they left his family alone.

Just as he expected, more of the agents came bursting through the door, guns raised and ready to fire. He dealt with them quickly, leaving them with harsh burns where they had held their guns. They were all left panicking, fleeing from the building as best they could.

Some of them quickly got into their cars, driving as fast as they could, their heads filled with a message Alcor had imbedded into their minds. "S̻T̆̅ͬͨ̉͜A̼͇̪̍ͤ̊̍ͫͬỲͨ̄͛ͣ͟ ͆A͙̲̩͕̳͈̓͆ͯ̀͌͐W̠̺̞̰ͯ̅̐̂̌ͨA̴͉͚̤̥͋ͪ̆̽͋ͯY̷̜͕̹̦̘ͨ͌ ̻̭͉̋ͨ̋ͪͭ͒̀F̡͕̣̩̬͖̮͐ͯ͌̓ͪ̆R̤̄̈́͌O͉̾͟M̟̜͍̮̺̐ͭ̚ ̠̩͖̼͒ͦͮ̔̔̾T̳̪͖̥̟̯͟Hͣͤͧ͋҉̗̠͎̙̜͖̘Ę̗͋ͥ ̝̤͚͍͙̳̘ͫ̃̊̐P̭̲̟̹̥͜I͉͖̼̹ͭ̒ͭ̍N̞̠̻̯ͨE̱͕̹͕̰̘ͦ͒ͮ͆̌͟S̬̮̜ͫ͗ ͙̿̒̂ͮF̩̞̯̦̼̳̣͛̋̓ͨ͆͂ͨ͝A̖̩͕̟̝̔ͣ͛̊͟M̳ͧI̶̦̻̊̚L̶͍̐Y͚̝̼̲͝ͅ ̣̦̝̺̎͒ͮ͊́̌͛A̎ͧ̄̈́̂ND̡͇͂ͣ̀̌̆͆̚ ͭT̶̘̮̪̪͗͗̀ͤ̒ͧE̙̱̗̩̩̘͒̄̇̈͗̂ͨḶ̮͕̠̪ͭͤ̃͑̓ͣͥ͢L͙̯̝ͩͨ̇ͩ͡ ̨̝̬̏ͦͅN͎͔̜̘͐͌̐ͯ̋̈͡Ö̋ ̘̘̀ͭ͆̑ͣ̓ͅON̦̭͍̲͕͍̝ͥ̃̌͊̕É̷͎͓̹̗̐ ̲͔̠̘͉ͮA̼B̵͔̠̘̽O̧̩̹̳̱̪͋̔̍̆̎ͅŬ̫̲̺͇̼̃ͫ͘T̅̄ͨ͊̋͘ ̶̜̰̬̏Ẃ̡̱̫̭͕͖̱̓ͫ̐͋͑Ḫ̨̱̱̱͖̰̳̈̆Ạ͇̻̓͆͂̋̐ͧ̕T̯̱̘͗͑ ͖͚ͤ̒͑̓̃ͭY̷͙̮̹̱͙͖ͤ̀͛O͉̺̪̞̯͂̿̉͞U̻̟͎͌͒͐ͯ ̛̙͖̝̼̠̻̼ͨ̂ͩ̀̈̒̌I̴̠̟̰͖̘N̬̯͓͕̣̰ͧ̂ͨ͆͊ͪV̧̬̼̥̼͎̎ͫ̀ͥ̂Ê̺̞̞͚ͣ̇ͪS̯̯̝̦ͦ͐̈͒̏͟Ṱ̶̖̦͇̒̈̏ͨI̦̪͕̘̼̜̽̄Ģ̗̭̗̩̹̮͕A̳͈̬ͨ̾ͭ̒͊̏̒T͎̻͚̟̱͕̄͐̕ͅE̍͆̓D ̨͎͎̟̙ͮ͌̒͛H̜̹̔̽E̮̠ͩ̎ͪ̔̔̚R͇͌͗̑ͬE̥͎̩͙̙̼̺ͮ͊̂̅̎ͣ͢.͇̯̺̫̟̫̅̀ ͔͑͛̋̎̽̎Ȍ̢̥̹̲ͣ̆ͫ̽̾Ȑ̘̯̿ͣ͌̏̄̀ ̧̮̞͉̰͐͐͐͐̌Y̡̬̫͕̒̂̿͑͛̽O͎̭̎͋̎̌͝U̢̍ͨ̃̊ͦ̌'͎̼̯̱͎͒L̛̮̖̪̎̇̀̌̆͂L̼͖̝̟̦͍̎͗͐̽ ̢̻̬͕̖ͮͧͧ͌̐B̵͎̮̺̞͆̊̾̿̈́E̎̅ͮ̏̅ͯ͗͝ ̬̘͚͙͇͚͖̀̓ͫͫ͌̓͞Wͫ̍ͣ̾͐ͭÌ͙̩͑̎ͨͣ͢S̥̤̤̺̘̈́̿H̕Ī̛̩̼̩̄͌̐͊̑N͈̯̆̇̆̒̆̈́ͤ͜G̦̖̤̥̫͈̒̽͟ ̦͓̔YO̼̣͈ͨ̒̀ͩ̒͞U̼̬͚̝̘̻̟͆͂͌ͫ͑ͣͭ ̹̦͕̝̆͆̑Ŵ͓͉̠̲̹̺̄͂ͧ̎E̻̖͔͚͖͖͔R͚̊̓͒ͪ̿ͤͧE͕̮̖͌ͭ̿ͩ̐ͣ ̥͇̰̬̲͗̿ͫͫ͊ͧD̟̼̲̩̼̭͇̋̚Ȅ̫̙̼̓ͦ͒ͫḀ̹̗̜͚͙̐̆̎̒̅͋͞ͅD̖͉̺!͚͙̆̃ͣͭ̀"

No words would be uttered about anything to do with the Pines family, at least with the lower agents. The only ones left were the higher ups, the ones called Agent Trigger and Powers.

They were outside, trying to get some of their men to stay. "What are you doing you cowards, what kind of a fight could one old man give?" Powers was shouting at them, angry at their betrayal.

That's when Alcor came striding out of the house, chuckling. "D̟̭̠͍̫̔̽́O̯̼ͤ̇̊ͦ̌ͥ̑ ̥̝̰̻ͣ̍ͪ͑́́I͇͎̺̗̓̊̑̄̓̿ͯ ́̔͡Ḷ̥͚̿Ő̴͒̆̌O̳͔̻͉̓̍̋̓̉̅̈ͅͅK̫̰͊ͩͩ̓ ͍̜͇͖̤̯ͅL̗̝̭̼͉̖ͭ̏ͮ̋̄I̟͈̦͌̏͂ͬ͂͐ͨK̝̝̜̙̩̭̦͐ͥ̍Ȅ̯͔̝̖ͧ̇̈́̚ ̜͕̠̹̓̈̓̂A̯̖̥ͦ̓̽̂̂̓̎N̨̟͇̫̍̾ ̟̱̠͔̋́O̺ͥͬ͐̏̄ͬ͞L̰̹̘͂̌͗͊̿ͫͭ͝D̠ͩ ̵̟̗̠̲̭̻ͧ̔́͗M͉ͭͪ̓͋ͪ̄̀Ă̯̹̟̯͇N̵̜̼͛̎ ̣̻ͣ̍ͪ̐ͭ͝Ṫ̜̣͍̭̮̊͒O͙͖̫̿ͦ̋̇͂̔͘ ̳͎̣͛͛Y̺O̟̪̮͎͖̳ͨ̉͆͒ͫͬǗ̠͛̏̑̆͛̊͞?̹̱̼͖̰ͬ̀͌ͤ ͉̪͇̻̣̰̖Į̼͎̺̞̖͗ͭͤ̿ͫ̓ͦ'̹̘̦̦̦̫M͒̎̍̉ ̹͈̦̪̭͕̎̾̎̌̓̊̂ͅP̡̟̗̪̭͎̲͔̓̏̎͊͋Ȍ͍̈̈́̋Sͣ̾̿̆͐I̳̗͈̲̣̱̙̐ͨ͑̓̒̉T̤ͫ̆̿̌͗ͬȈ̥͖̹̥͍̜̯̚V̳̤͉̽̐͟E͖͓̤̮̰ͩ̏̆ͅL̴̲͈͕͚̺ͫͨ̓Y̷̜̹͖̯̬̱̍̈́ͯͧ̑ͦ̚ ̱͙̙͙̗̪̳ͥͧͭ̌Y̦͕̱͉̰̳O̪̮̯̥͢U̻̺ͭ̐̊̐̋̈ͧȚ̷̪̯̇̃̾ͤ͆ͭ͌H͖͐͂͗̽̅́F̲͌̀Ů͚̠̻̼ͣ͒ͫ̔̚ͅL̩̣͎̾!͕͈͚̩̱̲ͪͧ̆͌͢"

Powers and Trigger got ready to draw their guns, defences up. "We didn't get any reports of someone like you in our surveillance. Whoever you are, why are you trying to scramble our agents? We are trying to protect our country, there's a doomsday device in that shack, and didn't you see the activation side effects?"

Alcor walked up to them, annoyed that they weren't showing the same signs of fear as the others. "A̺̼ͅR͔͓͎͕̩̼̽E͓͙͖ ̞̞̖̟͚Y̨̳͍͑̋̐O̢U͇̅̋ ̧͛ͮ͊͊R͍͖̲͔̜̖̤̀ͫ͗͊E̺͇̥̦̫ͤͩͩ́ͩ̆̾͢Ả̵̝̮͉͊̄̃͗L͈̮̗̙͈̱ͨ͛ͣ̋͢Lͥ͂ͫ̃͗̊Y̶͇̦̙̜̘̙̰ͪ ͫ͌̽ͫ̅̀T̢͔̭̰͍̮̱̤H̖͂̽̇ͤ̏̐̀A̼ͯͧ̏ͤT̀̑͋ͦͣͥͤ҉̳͎̘͙̮͕ ̭̳̱̩S͎͘T̝̬Ǔ̬̹̯͕̱̣͚ͪ̂ͬP̾͏̪͎͔͇İ̴̠̖̯̮̈̆ͩ̌ͥͧD͚?ͣ ̘̟̜̠ͅI̦ͭͯ̿ͤ͡ ̇̌ͩ̆ͧ͟Ḳ̴̮͈̩̝̩̜̈́͗N̝̭̣͉̼͈̼̐̏̎̎́ͩO̱W̠̥̫͌͋ ̹̜̥̳͓͉̌͐̕A̗̼̘L̶̫̖ͧ͛̽ͦ̄ͯ̚L͈̠̯̟̻̝̂̓̇ͯ͟ ̙̟͔̺ͯ̓̈́ͫ͝A͎̻̺̘̮͌B̠̣̫̣̞͒̐͌O̷͕̫͔̝͖͔̘͐̽ͭ̒̾̽̄U̳̦̯̣̮̘ͭ̃̑ͧͭT̟̱͎͑ ͙̼͒̊ͣ͗̈T̗͖̥͖̈ͪͬ̚H̯̱̹̘̙̲͊ͬͥ̂̓͡ͅE̢̲̟̰͐ ͚̘͙́Ḍ̋̇̇̓̾Ḙ̖̈́͘V̒̍Ỉ̖̗̩̰̪̺̬C̭̗ͫ͐ͦ̎͒Ê̳͕̼̘̯ͧ͐,̠̭͉͡ ̼̙ͨ̅ͯͅͅA̺͇̗͓̋̊̋̑ͪͪͨ͞N̆̈́͜D͉̜̙̤͍̯̋ͧ̅ ̯̜͕̙̞ͬ̃ͦ͆̅̈́ͧL̫̾͌ͪ̚E͖̩͕̗̫̯̙̓̽̉̂Ṯ̬͆̅ ̙ͦ̅̆̒̏̚͜ͅM̨̲̞̝̻͂E̟͒̐̇́ͯ̾̚͢ ͕͈̮̩͔ͣ̈̃ͅS͇̙͝A͓̘̜̳̭̥̼̽ͭͧ͞Y̏͂,̠͇ͭ͊͊̀ ͖͈̬̞̔̄̇́Y̴̮ͤͦ͂ͧͥ̆̾O͜U̗͎̗͔͗̾ͯ̉̎̚ ͖̗̺̒̕A̳̦͌͋R̫̺E̦̪̺̱̘̰͙͋ ̙̼̲͍ͨ́̃͊ͬ͌̈͡V̴̑ͪͣͭͨ͛E̮͕̥̱̥͙͔͑̃Ṙ̡͈͚ͩ̑̔́ͦͣY̫̫̺̘̰̺̹ͧͭͩ͋̀ ̜̣̱̖̬̟͈̂͌͊̆̈͞S̈Ť̺̗̒̽U̇͗̒͏͙̮P̩̥͚̮̊̍̅ͣ͗ͩ͋͝I̮͇̩͇͔̩͜D̺ͭ̿̉ ̤̙̦̞͙̖̋̈́͛ͯ͛͋F̺͙̎ͥͪ͒̒̓͛͢Ȍ͊ͅŔ̖̳̺̲̹̰̳ ̙̙ͮ͘T̞̲̐ͣͧ͌ͅR̠̳͎̪̝̤ͫ́͌Y͐̽͏̹Iͯ̓͗̓̅ͮNͮ̄ͭ̚͏̣Ġ̱̊̿̆ ̦͎̯͑͛̀ͅT̺̖͔̆ͤ̎ͩͫͦͫÒ͍̫̙͕̄͗̄̇͒ͤͅ ͔̗̥̻̉̌͆͐̓͊̐ͅS̝͈͖͍̕T̉O̡̜̰̤̺̼̰̿P͉̿̇ͧ̽̄̚͠ ̡̝͔̗̱͕̫͈̓̊ͫ̅ͦ͂I̡̜ͮͦ̆̍̚Ṱ̳͈̤͕̬̫͠.̨̰̣̩̗̭̺ͨ͒̄ ̠̳ͩ̓ͪ̎ͭ̅̚"

The agents were about to say something, but he held up a finger. "Ḁ̻̜̞͚̲ͤ͊̿͞N͇͉̲̙ͅD̳͇͔̜̓ ̗̦̟͚̼̘͕̃̍͝A̳̝̳R̬̹͕̝̭̈͆̐ͪ͗ͤ̈̀Ẽ̮͙͇͓̼̈́͛̚ ̡̥̞͓̮̞ͫ̋ͧ̾͊̆̇Ȳ̬̗̆͒ͣO̵̾̿́̓ͧ̅Ụ͊̿̚̕ ̲̘̣͙̐͆ͪ́̽͗̌Ṛ̤͕̝͎̤̥̆̈̇̈̂͜Ẹ͂̏͆ͩ̀Ȁ͈̤̗̫͙̍̇͝ͅL̠̭͙̻̙̬͊ͥͫLͮ͏̫̩͍̞Y͆ͧ͝ ͇̺̼̜͖Ť͖ͩ̉ͦ̑̔H̖̩̥ͬ̃͜A̞̥͊ͫ͟T̲̪ͥ̓ ̹̫̼̰̳̘͈ͭͥͯ͊̉̄̂D̰̥̖͙̞̈̽̿ͫ͑̒̀Ư̝̎M̬͍͖̱̖̞͎͑ͤͮ͢B͇̣̲̠̰̣̂͌ͫ́?̝̳̭̟̖̏͒̍ͨͧͤ͘ ̛̫̙͖͇̦̬͙̆̃ͣ̓͋ͬC̷̀A̺̹͍̖͔̠͙̓̎̾̔̾̊ͧ͜Nͧ͏'̜̪̺̺̺̼̍T̖̘͕ͩ̓ͦͨͪͭ̒̕ ̵̞̳͚̳̬̻̆ͩͅY͊͡O͖͖̱͇ͬͬ̎̔̈̀Ŭ̞͔̭̪̹̺̋ͤͤ̾̋͘ ̖̎̅͜S̠͐͊͋̄̚E͍̩̖͙͋́̄ͥ̎E͌̾ ̴ͭ̊̊̅̄Ť̺̫͌͌ͩ̂H̙̜͌͆̊Ą̮͇̜T̍͂ͥ͏͓ͅ ̓İ̮̇̓̂̆'̧̳̭̣̟ͭͯͮM̼̈ ͝N̜̪̮̑̐ͭ̚Ö̵̦̗̝̭̹̮ͮ͂ͧ̾T̘̜̎ ̈̄̀͊̽ͤA̛̬̩̫̭͍̫̦ͪ͛ͯN͇͙̆̀ͯ̀ͅ ͚̮̱͖̏̎Ő̷͍̼̮͙͓́ͬ̐̅R̰̭͇̄͊̓̓̀̌̕D̤͎͎͡Į̦̯͎̳̦̭ͤ̄͗ͯ̂N͔̣̍̐A̴͔̥̜ͪ̉ͮͮ̊̓ͯṞ͉̻͔͓̾Ÿ̧̩̙̝̳͓́̅ ͍̠͇̭͛̑̒̎͑̆̊́P̠̖̃͘E͕͍̙͙͛̍ͨ̊̇͗Ŕ͔̳̪͐ͥ͊Ş̦ͭͩOͬ̓ͫ͏̘Ṇ̹͋̈͋̍?̠̥͖̲̮͚ ̴͍͚̲̣̈́͐̋ͤ̃̎C̰͍͙͑̽͗͌À̴͖͓̳͋̓̊Nͯ̌̈͏̘̪͔̦'̤̊͜T̲͙͇̯̻̹̗̈́ͣ͠ ̙ͨ͌̏͡ͅYͭ̏ͮͧ̌ͬǪ͖̞̹̤̤̙̜̈̽̽ͭ̄U̩̮̲̦ͫͮ͒ͪ͆ ̩ͫ̅̓̆ͭͯSͮ͗̏ͭͩĖ͎͚̖̘̏ͭ̃E͉͍̖̮͟ ̴̮͔̮̭T͙͇Ĥ̳͔̩̳̭̠̆͠A̷̭͈͓̮͎͓ͮT̡̯̬͖̙ͪ̽̃̑͂ͬ ̬̱̪̦͉̘̬͜Ĭ̓ ͕̞͖͎̦̑ͦ̋ͩ̐̇͑̀A̯ͩ̄̿ͣ̾̀M̦͚͈͇̣̓ ̪̹̞̱͔̟̦ͧ͌ͤ̐͛N̟̫̘̰̯͍̦ͣ̈͛̆̀̚Ǒ̳̪̜̖͖̺͚́T̼̆̚͘ ̷̞̬̜̪̦͌͗̂̔ͮ͌͊H̅͏̲̺͇U̩̫̘͖̯̎͢M̫͙͔̲̊A̪̗͐͂̈́̓N̛̺̜̥͈̟͊̏̑̀ͥ͑,̢̜̖̤̲̙̓ ̹̑ͮ̊̔̒Ō̞͌Rͭͬ͐͢ ͫͣ̄A̦̝̻͔̥̾̇͛ͨ̂ͯ͗R̅ͪ̈́͊ͪ̿̇͏̻̰̲̝̭̹E̗̻͉͈̬̟̳̓͑͆̇͒ ̮̫̽̈́̍͠Y̡͓͊̒O̷̠̹̓͆̎ͫ̿ͥU̞̦͍̙͍͛̾̈́̾ͭͩ́ͅ ̉͏J̢Uͪ̋̐̂̍S̎̀̉̀̒͑̽T ̛̟ͦṰ̹̹̝͎̈̌ͣͬ̇ͨ́̚Ê̳͆͛̊R̞̟̊̉͌̿͂͆R̷̗͎̋͛I͕̳̘͂̆̒̔̐̍͞B͐̓̇ͣ̊̾͏L̨̩͓͉̙̞̩̿̿̾̃E̱̝̪̪ ̐ͫͬ҉͓͇̟A̛̟̬͚̖̻͌ͧ̊̑T̳͓͇͕̩̪̃̎̎̄̉̚ͅ ̘̪̱͓͎̰̰͒͛̏ͤͣ͞Y̖͚͇̞̿ͯ̉ͭ̾͂̌͘ͅÔ̪͓̝̠̮̱̒ͫͯ͌ͯ̚̕U̳̰͔̰͖͚̺̍́̑̏ͨR̨͌ ̧̣̒͂̄J̀O͍ͮ͒̑͗̐̾̅B̬͇ͬͦ͌͗̚.͕̫͈̻̂ͤ́͐"

"You can't silence us, this is a big investigation!" Trigger glared at him.

Alcor laughed, grabbing hold of the agents by their necks, hauling them off the floor. They cried out in alarm, grabbing for their guns, but when Dipper lit up his flame and it started to burn their necks slightly, they stopped their resistance, the guns clattering to the ground.

The demon looked them in the eyes, burning hatred within his own. "

Dͤ̍̀͆̎ͤ̑͞ͅÕ̴̰̞̻̲̖̱N̹͍̲͔̲̼͚̊ͦ̀̔͐͑'̫̱̮͈̬̮͊ͪͅT͗ͣ͑̿́ ͈͇̯̭̐̐̎̾͛T̖̠͙̫̪ͮͅͅḪ̞͙͝I̫̜͈̤̾͘N̦K̶̳ͫ͛̾ͦͫͪ͗ ̡͚͈̯͂̀̍̂̒I̲ ̶̰̜̍̍̌C͔͋̽̽̿O̶͈͍̙͉͎̹U̫͋̓͌̈́L͋ͭ̐̈́ͯ̅͏D̵̜ͪͧN͈ͭ̓͐ͣͣ̚'̹̗͕͔ͭ̾͛̑̿̒͐Tͫ̌͑ͫͦ͑͏͉̠ ̘̯̟̺̣ͭ̉͊̀̄̀S̪̦̝͒̕N͈̪̲̓͆̓̾͑̚͢A̩Ṗ̹͍̱̳̮̦̈́̔͂̀̈̀̕ ̗͖ͤ̒ͦͬ̇ͣY̵ͫͧͫO͇͉̠͇̲͒ͪ̂̽U̱͖͍̘̜̭R͔̙͍͖͌̋ͧ̀͐ͮ ̴̙̲̜̟͐Ṇ̖͍̣͙̜̇̔ͯ͋ͦE̎̀C̋̽ͭ̊ͯ̈́͠K̠̥͈̙̦ͭ̊ͪ̉ͭͅ ̥̮R͔̦̮̦͚̤͇͐̅̍ͮ̅I̱̙̰͚̪͈̼̚Ĝ̣͇͍̗ͪ͑H͚̰̩̼̍̐̆̂̔͌̀T͓̼̲̳̭̩̯͛̿ͯͨͧ͝ ̢̱̤̤̖̮̼̑̈̓́ͤ̈́H͍̻͚ͫ̃͊E̱̪͖̤̼̒̉R̶̼̱̭̗ͩͤ̅E̥̝͒ͤͥ̊͛ͥ ̷͔̖̱̭͙ͥA̪̱̖͖ͫ̒̇̆̓ͩ́̚Nͮ͗̋Ḓ̴͍̤̫ͨ͂͂ ͑̃ͯ̾̊̔ͧ͏͔̩̠̺͔̖N̝̘̝̺̱̈́̽ͮ̊ͦ͝OW̰͔̞̌̆͐́,̤̇̐͛ͨ͆̂̀ ͊ͧ͛̽͊҉̳B̩Eͬͦͬͤ̀̂̚͏̭͙CȂ͚̈Ŭ̬̱͕̯̦̈ͮͅS̡̰͖̱̩̺͙͚̏̐̂̅̌̒ͥE̶͇̟̾́̔͛͗̊̚ ̃͋͑I̛̟̹̠̘̹̣̝ ̴͙̲̙̫͓̬͒̂W̞͢Į̹̠̜͑̇̑̚L̙̱̼̈́͗̏̑L̤̈̐̍̎ͥ.̭͓̂ͣͥ ̻̳͙̟̬̥ͭ̇͒̾I̩͛͐ͪͯ̈͐F̖̥͙̟ͯ͂̈́̃̒͆ ̷͇͇Ị̰̥T̻͍͖ͥ̌͛̈́ͥͣ̊'̶̥͎̯̜̱̭S̲̘̠̮̝͍͌ͮͥ͋͌̇̚͟ ̣̪T̲̦̘͛̒ͣ̃͑̚͞ḪE̶̳̻ ̦̜͐ͬ̒̑̆O̘̠̥̥̥͇̗̓͗̓ͪ͐N͚̤̹̮̦̺̎̉̏̊͗̑͞L͔̑̔̒͊͘Y̛̪̜͙͋ͦ ̏͆W̵͓̰̔̿͗A̦͔͛̎Y̦̰ͅ ̮̘̪̐̑͛̓̽̈̚͢T̤͚̰̬͌̽́̚O̾͆ ͇̜G̡͇͕̮̹̻̻͔ͫ̃̑E͍̊̿ͤ̉T̺͎̯̰̺̺ͨ̋ͨͤ̏ ̤̝̞͈͔͛͛̏ͅY̱̳̻͖̤̗͖̒̚O͚̙ͤ̔͋ͭ͗ͅǗ͖̫̯̉̎͆͑ͭ͐ ̰̲̋ͮT̳̱͖̘̞̝ͭ͌̈ͦ̈̊ͅO͆ͣ͑͊̇ ̗L̮͈̜̫͊̇ͦE̡ͫĀ̘́V̨̯̦͙̦̺̠̮̾E̟̠ͮͤ̽̋̋ͯ T̍H̳̍̽͛̄̍E̬̞͉̝ ̖͈͔̱͙̝͖͊͑̉̈́ͬͥ̑͘P̘̯͎̲̜͉ͭͥ̄I̜͑̔̍̓̀N͉͕͍̏̂͊͗̾ͣ̚͘É̞͖̫̳͚̦̺̀͑̚Š̗̰̈́̇̌̿̂ ͤ̽̈ͯ̎F̶ͮͤͨ͛̑̂̚Ā̖̣̳͔̠̜͙̒͟M̫̒͌̽Ḭ̻̮̠̻͌̇̐̈̃̒͝Ḷ̱͉͍ͫ͋́̒̽̎̾Y͆ͯͨ͗̔ͪͤ͞ ̒̑̽A̬̙̼̦̗L͙̺̭͎̥̺͙͛̌̇͛̒́O̓̉͌̆N̞̳̯̎̏ͩ̽̕Ë̛̟́̌ͧͦ̐̓̚,̭͍ͩ̇ ̙̱̅ͩͬ͒̅T̬̯̥͍̈́̑̏H̤̦͒ͤ͌̚E͕̬̩͓N̨̤̳͔͈̽ ̨͋̔ͯ̆ͯ́I̜̖͍͈ͧͨͤ̒͆̋͋'̺͊ͦ̏L͍̱̀́͐L̤͚̼̰̮̖̀ͤ͗͒̚ ̫͉̟̗̯̫̦̊̎̽̐͝G̫̲̰̘̥͕̾̌L̨̇̅̿ͮ͆A̵̬̫͉ͧͧ̐ͣ͛͊̔D̝̦̯̗̱̤̞ͮ̍̓̆̈̚L̶͓̯͊̑̌ͬ̽̓ͣY͈͐ͮ̀ ̇͒̎͌̄K̼̺͔͎ͩ͗̋̀̀͒̽Ỉ̑̇ͮ̽ͣͧ͏L̊ͩ̊̍̈́̑̋L̬̹͓̘̟ͩͨ̆ ̽ͦ̇̊̒͛͠Y͖͍̭͕̯ͤ̏̓̒̈́̏͝O̮̭̥͖͓͌̒ͬU͎͗ͧ̐͆̓.̧̪̯̞̩ͮͥ̀ ͖̖̾̆͡"

He let go of their necks, letting their bodies clatter to the ground. Their hands instantly went to their necks, seeing how deep the burn was, luckily it only effected the surface of the skin, nothing major. They looked at the demon in front of them, the same fear as the other agents evident on their faces now. They understood who they were dealing with now, a demon.

Trigger and Powers got up, collecting their guns for protection as they backed away. Alcor staying where he was as he spoke. "I̤̳̊F̟͍̙͔̟͇͆̽ͯ͋̐ͮ ̿̊͏͍̳Y̞͕̞͈̳̙̿͋̉͞O̯̙̣̞̮͌͊͐̓̑͠U̷ͫ͛͐̑ͣͥ ̮̫̭͔̣ͨ̌ͨ͟TȆ͗̋̽͏̙͎ͅĹ̰̀L͏̞͖̭̣͔͕̻ ͍͔͕̗̞̟Ą̥N̷̥̯͔͚̓̏ͣͅY̨̬O̥̰͛͒ͅN̷̰ͥ͋̐Ẻ͇̙̹͉̰̰̤̌̎͘ ̦̣̼̗͍̟ͩͣ̓ͩ̀̏̉ͅA̵͙̫̼͎̜̬͊ͩ̈́ͥͨB̤̒ͥͩ̔͂̈ͅO̶͙̍ͥ̊̃ͭ̿̑Ṳ̤͔̯̹̳̠͐ͧ͡T͖ͫ̐ͥ̓ͮͥ̚͢ ͐ͣͬ̇T̸͔̜̥̲̝̝͇ͩ̐ͧͩ̑̋H͏̥I̴̺̤͍̞̣̪̊͛͋̅ͧ̚ͅS͑͂̋̅,̱͈̒͂ ̯̬̫̬ͅA̖̱̪̝̮͓̟B͔̘̳͕͎̻͆̒͒O̤U̩ͦ́T͍͓ ̣̰̞ͭ̓ͬͫ̈́Ţ̹̞̞̪́͆ͦͩḦ̱́ͤ̑̂͆Ȩ̀͊ ̗̳̈͐ͧ͋́͗̂DͫͥͪḘ̏̇ͬ̍̓̋̋V̺̭͋̃̏͟I̠͇̙͎̲͖C͕̈̐͋Ȅͮͧͬ͗̎͠,͂͊̓́̓ ̩A̺̝̘̗͍̤̠̽͋͒͌̑͗N̝͚̤̠̺̪̩͒ͨ͢D̩̳̘͎͔̥ͧ̈́ͧ̀́͋ͅ ̼͋̓̽̓͝Ã̱̳̗̭̹͐̆͊̊ͅB̼̽̂͋̊̃͠O̧ͤ̂̇Û̘͉͜T̗̖̖̞̣̮̄ͅ ̛̹̞̙ͮ̽̓̇ͅTͩͦͭͦ͌͢H̲̩̮̜̤͈ͩ̍̔̓̒̇̀ͅẼ̡̱͇͙̮͑͂̀̓ ͇͕̠̩̫͘P͈̲̱̳̋͛ͯ͛̚I͖̙ͣͪ͛́̉̉̌̕N̵ͨ̓̀̿̔͗̆Ḙ̳͓͙̱̤̘̇̑S͇̝̠̟̱̄ ͙̲̘̻̒͐̄F͡A͙̮̞̖͕̲̚ͅṀ͆́ͤȈͫ҉L̏͠Y̬̼̍ͮ̆,̶̀ͣ ̖͍̪͇̝̱̅̇͑E̤̞̥ͧ̍ͅV̏͗ͬE̒̀ͪ̇ͪN̠̗̯̯̗̬̒͑͢ ̸͕̼̦̪̼ͤ͌̇ͨ̓I͔͉̗͉̜͞F̫͕͇̖͉̮͈̑̄͆̃̉ ̤̫̮͕͂͜Y̞̪͠Ô̶̲̣̥̈́̑̏͂ͨŲ̻̫͂ͨ͌̎ ̱̫̼̳̘̪̓ͩ̈̾A͍͑͗ͥ̿̕R̢̤̘̝̣͖̘̬ͣË̘͊ͬ̋͛͢ ̫̺͔̙̂͗͆ͤͬ͢C̨̹̺̺͖͓̽O̹̭͉̦͔̖M̺̹̝͖̙̌̓͞M̧̯͖̗̮̱͌̌̈ͮ̏͌̔A̔̚N̜̜̦̋ͤ̑D̑͌͊̈E̤̙ͮͯͭ͛ͫ͟D͈̼͎͔̫̃̿̊̄̒͗ ͕̠̍Ṯ̶͚͎̯̲̟͊͛̉ͩ͌ͫŌ̧̻̦ͅ ̳̲̱̹̳̹͓͋̓̾̈́̍D҉̹Oͯͥ̄̍͂͏̥̺̙̼ ̋̀̇̊͂̑S̩͓O̧̾̌̒̐ͮͭ̑,̵̼̣́̈̈́̌ ̫̖͠J͓̖̌̇́̓͊̀U̅̚S̳̝͈̯͉̩̼͑̊͘T̴̫͈̝̑ ̺̞ͮ̑̏̌ͯ̿ͥ́T̻̮͎͖͐̍Ḧ̵̭̪́ͣͯ́I̸̮̙̞ͫ̓N̜͊͋̇̚͞K͇̘̤̮̠̦͍̄̓̉ͧ ͖̟̮̣̣̻̩̏̎ͮͨÅ̢ͬͩ̽͌̊͒B̬͟O͎̳̞̼̫͙U̫̳͙ͤͯͅT ͯ͆ͮ̍ͥ̏҉̹T̼͚̮̻͉̯ͥͭ̓͊̃̓̚H̺̐̒ͣI͖͙̹̹̗̗͓̾ͥS̨̻:̡̤̳̳͊͛ͧ͊ͨ́̊ ̻̰̋ͫͅI͇͍͇͕̱ͫ̓͋͞S̠̲̩͖̹̏̐ͧ͛ ̦̻̞̰͊͒͗ͥ͌͌Ḽ̪̳̳ͣͤ̚O̡̝̞̣̝ͥ̑̐̐ͅͅS̤̙̩͈ͧ̒̀͋̃̇̍I̭̞̩̜ͦͭ͜Nͬ͒ͯͩ̋͐̚G̣̳̻̗̼̒̍̋͂ͧͤ͢ ̡̱̻Y̙͊O̡̮͌̃ͪ̅Ụ̸̹̈̂̄̐R̜̖̠͊̉ ̢̺̩̘̾̈́J̯͓͎̼̫̣͉ͬͩ̂̅ͦͫͭ͞O̖͘B̗͠ ͙͆̇͒̎W̳̞̝͛͆̒̄̾̌O͙̦̥̬̣̲̮ͮ̌̅̏͠R̟̣͉ͬŜ̜͇̳͈̞͔ͤ̋̆͛͡Ế̗̋̇ ̼͔ͥͯͩ̆ͤT̵͔̟̐̽̄̓̿ͅH͙ͧ̊̃̑͢Ä̹̯̐ͭ̿͊ͭͮN̼̪̈́̉̄ ͓̳͖̜͂L̘̣͓̟͈̂̐̃̅̂O̷̗ͣS̄̄͆͑Ï̬̭̄̒ͩ̓̈́Ň̲̳̦̭̠̯̠̂̀G͗̓͋̒̄̆̚ ̰̈́́̃̚͜Y̱̟̗͇͐̌O̺̥͙̙̯̝̭ͮ͗͑ͥỤ̪͔̥̭̔́ͦ̔͜R̶̟͙͙̥̗͇̝̆͗ͫ͑̈́̆ ̞͛̎ͧͤ͘L̴͇̣̭̹̯̼͒̌͐ͣ̄Ĩ̹̼̼͑͐̕F̧̭̓̇E̮͕̭̖̜͙̪̋̾͑ͨ͞?̘̰ͣͫͩ̅ͮ"

The agents moved quickly after that last line, stumbling to their car as they tried to get away from the demon. Him watching as the cowards ran away in their car, leaving the shack at piece. _ThAt WaS fUn... I wIsH i CoUlD dO mOrE..._ The blackness started to retract from his form, Alcor's thoughts becoming more human as he turned round back to the shack, just as a blast of light hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the floor.

Stanford had fired his gun.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Just a guy hoping to have a little fun.

That's what I was looking for! Fear.

There's no need to alert the others, I'll be getting to them soon enough. Stop being a wimp and try and fight me on your own, or do you want me to erase your memory?

Pitiful, isn't it? Well, I might as well get this over with. I have a lot to take care of.

Oh come on, you're the government aren't you? Put up more of a fight!

Fine, if you're that desperate! Let's see how many of your comrade's it takes to even get a scratch.

Stay away from the Pines family, and tell no one what you investigated here. Or you'll be wishing you were dead!

Do I look like an old man to you? I'm positively youthful!

Are you really that stupid? I know all about the device, and let me say you are very stupid for trying to stop it.

And are you really that dumb? Can't you see that I'm not an ordinary person? Can't you see that I am not human, or are you just terrible at your job?

Either way, I encourage you to go away from here and forget about everything you witnessed here.

Don't think I couldn't snap your neck right here and now, because I will. If it's the only way to get you to leave the Pines family alone, then I'll gladly kill you.

If you tell anyone about this, about the device, and about the Pines family, even if you are commanded to do so, just think about this: Is losing your job worse than losing your life?


	34. Chapter 32 The Pain Of Mistrust

**Chapter 32**

 _The Pain Of Mistrust_

* * *

Dipper only reacted as his body hit the floor, he was just so... shocked. He'd been caught off guard. Sure the man had raised his gun to him two times in the last half an hour, and yet it hadn't even crept into the realms of possibility that the Author would come up out of the basement and shoot him. And he felt the anger trying to grip hold of him, and he wanted to let it take over, so he could show the man why he shouldn't mess with him. _I SHOULD TEAR HIM APART!_ Yet the pain that followed from the shot caused all that Anger to be stunned into silence.

He hadn't really wondered what getting shot would feel like, but he bet he was getting ten times more pain than a normal gun. After all, what the Author had fired wasn't a normal gun. It reminded him of one of those blasters he'd seen in a space film once, a jet of energy instead of a bullet. And boy did it hurt.

The kid felt like screaming, the pain so intense from the shot, yet his mind was so scrambled he couldn't even whisper one. It was so intense that screaming wasn't even a possibility, all he could focus on was the agony he was experiencing. It was even worse than when that demon had broken his arm.

Dipper could hear voices yelling, barely. Everything wasn't working properly, even his sight was blurred, yet he could see two men shouting at each other. It was obviously his twin uncles, it was still weird thinking about it like that. He'd barely had any time to terms with the fact that his Grunkle had had a secret twin this whole time.

He couldn't hear what they were saying, they could have still been arguing about before, about lying that his great nephew wasn't a demon, or it could have been about shooting him right here and now, Dipper didn't much care if it was either, or any.

Dipper's body was twitching slightly, trying to adjust itself to the situation, but he was finding it hard. His body wasn't healing like it should have, or at least not as quickly, whatever that gun was, it had slowed down the process of healing A LOT. He was trying to more his hand, to check how bad the injury was, and if it actually warranted this much pain.

After a minute, he managed to more it, slowly but surely, he touched the hand to the place he felt the most pain. And he felt the hole. The gun hand burned a hole right through his chest, through the skin, bone and heart, and right out the other side. It was actually kind of funny, it reminded him of the first time he'd encountered Bill Cipher, when he'd shot a hole right through his chest, though this hole was smaller, able to fit a finger in it, plus a little bit more.

His eyes squinted slightly, trying to adjust as his eyesight started to clear, hearing getting better as well. He could actually hear the conversation now.

* * *

"He's a danger, don't you see?!" Ford was yelling, his gun still in his hands, possibly to shoot Dipper once he got back up.

"No, no. Don't you see! Dipper isn't a threat or anything like that. In fact, he just _saved_ the family! If he hadn't gotten those agents to go away, they would have dragged both you and me to prison!" Stan looked like he had just punched Ford, and from the look of Ford, it had been right in the face.

"Don't try and distract from what's really happening. That _thing_ isn't my nephew, it isn't your nephew, it isn't even human! It's a monster, a demon, and a danger to this family, Stanley. We need to destroy it before it destroys us!"

"You really are thick aren't you, Ford? What proof do you have of that. All you've been doing is wandering around in some alternate dimension or whatever, and I've had time to understand the situation. Then, you come back, and without even understanding the situation, the shoot him! And you're supposed to be the smart of one us!"

Ford gritted his teeth at his brothers comment, anger boiling beneath. "You don't even know what I've witness in the last 30 years, YOU don't get to say anything like that! You're just the brother that doesn't know anything about the supernatural, the one that doesn't want to know! And I bet that hasn't changed at all in all these years. I bet that thing brainwashed you, or tricked you into a deal, just like-"

"Bill? That triangle is the monster who did this to him in the first place!"

The man froze for a second, looking at his brother. "You... know about Bill?"

"Of course I know! He visited me about 20 years back, offered me a deal to get you back. But I know a con when I see one. I wouldn't be a good one myself if I couldn't! You think I'm dumb, yet you're the one jumping to conclusions right now. So please, just listen for a second before shooting people with that thing."

* * *

Dipper heard all of the conversation now, the yelling and shouting started to calm down, yet he wasn't focusing on the conversation itself, he couldn't focus on anything. It was all just a distraction from the pain.

Ah yes, that pain again. The wound was healing, but it was agonisingly slow, not enough to calm him down at all. He wanted it to stop, all of this to just leave him alone, sadly the world didn't work that way.

It was around about this time that Dipper noticed the wetness on his hand, and he reached it slowly up to his eyes, alarm striking him for a second. Not the fact that there was blood on his hand, he'd been expecting blood, but the fact that it was an inky black. It was inhuman. Just of the look of it sent a small shiver down his spine. His blood hadn't been black the last time he'd checked. _Great, I'm getting more and more demonic as I go along._

The pain wasn't as great now, the wound starting to heal a bit quickly, the hole was going straight through his body now. It was actually kind of creepy how the fabric of his suit was repairing itself as well as his flesh and bones. But heck, demon logic, it makes no sense.

Dipper was moving his body now, trying to get up, hands pressed weakly on the ground to try and give him from force to push up with, but his body felt too weak. Not only was his body weakening from being in physical form for so long, but it had also taken a hit. He hoped he would soon be able to leave this mess, have some time to his self. Then the realisation struck him. _I can't believe I'm actually hoping to go to that horrible realm. It's dark times indeed. I'll have to try and find a way to get Bill to leave me alone for a bit._

But then Dipper heard a young female voice, one he recognised instantly. _Mabel...?_

She was running out of the shack, _without the aid of her crutches._ That struck Dipper as quite odd, then extremely odd. She was running like she'd been completely fine, though the cast was still on, and she was showing no discomfort in the way she was moving.

Mabel pushed past the two Stan's, who were basically just locked in a silent staring contest now, and knelt by Dipper, panic in her eyes. "Oh my... Dipper, you... You're bleeding. Are you alright, please say you're alright!"

Dipper grimaced, looking at her. "Mabel... Your leg." He couldn't care about himself, she was the main priority.

She just gave him a smile. "You... didn't just fix my cast."

Realisation struck him like a hammer. _I... fixed her ankle... I actually mended that broken bone?_ The whole fact of that made that piece of guilt he had from hurting her lessen slightly, it didn't weigh as heavily on his soul as it once had. A spike of pain shot through and made him grimace, closing his eyes for a second, his bone had started to mend now.

Mabel instantly panicked, asking if he was alright again. She shook him slightly.

Dipper's breathing went back to normal, as normal as it could be for the amount of pain he was in, and he opened his eyes to look at her. "I just... need to heal." He knew she would understand, he'd told her all of what he'd learned from Bill in his lessons, so she knew about his advance healing.

Mabel nodded for a minute, tears in her eyes. She'd seen Ford shoot him from the security camera's, it must have been heartbreaking for her.

And yet it just got worse when Ford noticed her finally from the corner of his eye, and turned round, pointing his gun at Dipper again. "Kid, get away from that thing!"

Stan grabbed hold of his shoulder. "Didn't you even hear a word I just said?!"

But Ford wasn't going to listen to Stan, he might of shocked him a little with the fact he knew Bill, but that didn't change the fact. Mabel knew it was up to her.

She looked round at her uncle, and glared at him. "My brother is not a thing! So don't you dare call him that! He's a lovely, amazing person that cares so much for the mysteries you put in your journals! You lit up his world, and in essence, mine! And yet you're going to shoot him because you _think_ he's dangerous? You're not even going to try and get to know him, even when he's your family!"

Ford's eyes narrowed. "You can't trust them... You can't trust any of them... Get away from it!"

Mabel's now eyes narrowed in concentration. "No, no! If you want to hurt my brother, you'll need to go through me! If you're going to shoot him, you'll need to shoot me too! I'd rather die than let you hurt him even more than what you've done already! What did he do to you do deserve this pain? Look at him! So what if he's a demon, he wasn't born like that. He made a mistake, we've all done stuff like that. But it doesn't mean he needs to die because of it!"

Dipper listened to every word she said, and could feel the passion she spoke with, it was almost like she was a different person. No longer the goofy sister he held dear, but a sister that was willing to die for him. He didn't know how to feel about that. He didn't even know if the gun could kill him. Bill Cipher said that in essence demons could be killed, but they would always come back to life after a few thousand years. For that long a wait, he wasn't ready to give up. He wasn't going to let himself be killed, just for him to come back to a world where Mabel didn't exist. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, before the inevitable happened.

Ford did the same. How could this child feel so much for a... monster? _This thing is nothing but a demon trying to trick them, to trick me, into thinking it's an innocent little boy. It's even taken the form to look like one. I bet it's already wrapped it's influence around their minds. How can I save them from something like this? I'll need to do everything I can... But with all of them on it's side... Fine, I'll play along. But I'll find a way to destroy this demon. I'll make sure of it._

He dropped his gun, giving a slight sigh. "Maybe... I jumped to conclusions. Maybe... I was wrong about you." He looked at Dipper, who was being helped to his feet by Mabel now, the wound almost all the way healed. _This creature truly is a master of trickery._

Ford and Dipper both locked eyes, almost thinking with the same mind for a second. _He's a danger to my family._ They both thought _And I need to get rid of him._

* * *

Sorry for the lateish update, I had a busy day. I've also decided to try something out. What would you say to a code at the end of each chapter?

I'd love to see what you think about it. The code would always be like the end credits page of season 2 where its a combined cipher, and would alert something to the future. ;) So hears my first one and have a try. If you all like it, I'll hopefully do more.

 _ **4-16-19 22-19-23-5-4 15-10-5-15-20-19 15-5 16-15-5 19-4-19-6-10-23-12 18-19-23-6, 22-3-4 4-16-19 20-23-6-13-19-10-19-20 20-23-1-10 15-5 17-6-9-1-15-10-17 10-19-23-6**_

 _ **16-3-11-23-10-15-4-25 23-20-20-5 4-9 16-15-5 5-4-6-19-10-17-4-16 9-18 1-15-12-12, 22-3-4 21-23-10 16-19 5-4-9-8 4-16-19 8-12-23-10-5 9-18 22-15-12-12?**_


	35. Chapter 33 Getting Used To The Situation

Guess what guys? The story hit 30,000 views today! I can't even comprehend that people took the time to visit this story that many times. It's unbelievable... I just want to thank all of you for sticking by me for all this time, and I hope you are all still here enjoying this story when we get to 50,000 views. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 33**

 _Getting Used To The Situation_

* * *

The tension was high a while after Stanford dropped his gun, and it started when Dipper disappeared.

Well, of course he hadn't disappeared for Mabel, but the look of sadness he gave her as his feet left the ground told her instantly that he was nothing but a ghost again. It had happened as soon as he'd gotten fully to his feet, as soon as the wound had healed, he'd been pulled back into the mindscape, and he bet soon he'd be yanked back to the Nightmare Realm, which might of actually been a relief from this atmosphere.

Ford's eyes had squinted as the demon had just disappeared into thin air, his body tensing, but Stan put a hand to his shoulder to try and calm him, even if he was tense himself. "Relax, he's still here." Maybe not the best way to calm him down.

The Author's eyes narrowed as he instantly looked around at them all, he had to have just possessed one of them! But the girl didn't seem different, the eyes weren't giving anything away, neither for his brother or the young man who accompanied them. Then where...?

"Dipper's just invisible, see?" Mabel said, before frowning. "Wait... I mean don't see? Wait... Um..." Before she shook away her confusion. "Dipper can't stay physical very long, so right now he's just... here. But, for some reason only I can see him."

Ford looked around, still uncertain. _So, did they make a deal for physicality with this demon, or was all that just a trick? No, he has to be possessing them or something. Come on Ford, think. Which one of them looks different?_ For a moment he looked at them like a mad man, which didn't help to release any of the tension between them all.

Dipper couldn't help but feel uncertain about the man in front of him. His thoughts were... difficult. _So this is the man I've been searching for, all this time he was my great uncle? I should be excited, overjoyed even, that I can finally get the answers I deserve. But why do I feel such unease? There's something about him that doesn't feel right, he definitely didn't tell us everything of his past, he's hiding something. I don't like that. How could he hide something from us, from me? Stan spilled every secret he had. How ironic, the con man is the one being honest._

Ford seemed to relax somewhat, though his eyes were still searching, most likely for Dipper. But he'd never find him, no matter how hard he tried to focus, he didn't have the link that Dipper and Mabel had. And Dipper was somewhat thankful for that, this man wasn't someone he wanted to be able to interact with twenty four seven, he wanted it on his own terms.

"It's... been a long day. Mabel sweety, why don't you hit the hay? I need to have a little talk with my brother." Stan rubbed his eyes as he sighed for a second, his gaze concentrated on Ford to make sure he didn't do anything drastic again.

Mabel hesitated, but nodded, quickly hurrying to the door, her movements slowed slightly by the cast that no longer had any use to her. She'd need to go and get it taken off the next day. She glanced over at Dipper as she walked, biting her lip. "Are you... okay?"

"Of course I am, the wounds all healed now." He murmured as he floated by her, too sucked into his thoughts to bother walking.

Mabel showed a small smile. "You know what I mean."

He let out a sigh, he knew she was going to say that. He'd just tried to avoid the question, but now he couldn't stop himself from answering. "I don't know. Shouldn't I be happy about all this? Like, really, he's _the_ Author! The one guy I've been trying to find for so long, and the first thing he does it put a gun to my head. How... How can I react to that? Then afterwards he really does shoot me. How... how could he do something like that to me? He didn't even give me a chance to explain, to tell him what happened. But now I'm not even sure if explaining it all would make a difference."

Mabel was walking up the stairs now, biting her lip. "Hey, I'm sure he'll come around, okay? It's just... he's probably been through a lot and just jumped to a bit of a conclusion. Once he's gotten to know you, he'll see that you aren't all evil and dangerous like a demon." She smiled when they got to the room. "Come on, I have some stuff to talk to you about."

Dipper looked at her for a second, not sure if he could believe what she had said before frowning. "Talk about what?"

"What sweater design I should knit now that I'm back here, duh! I only had a few colours of wool in the hospital, but here I have everything!" She giggled as she jumped onto the bed, Dipper sighing as he followed her in. _She's lucky she can think about stuff like this with everything that just happened, sometimes I wish I was more like her._

* * *

Meanwhile, Stan and Ford were downstairs, having one of the most awkward talks ever.

Ford was definitely not as tensed up anymore, they'd actually shared a small joke about Stan looking like their father. But now he had to get to the fact at hand. "Okay Stanley, here's the deal. You can stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids." He said the last part with a slight break in the sentence, he wasn't going to have an argument with Stan about whether or not that demon could even be called a kid, so he might as well play along with their fantasy. I'll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage." _Including find a way to destroy that monster that's infected your minds._ "But when the summer's over, you give me my house back, you give me my _name_ back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over forever. You got it?"

Stan looked at him, hurt evident in his eyes. "You really aren't gonna thank me, are you?" Looks were exchanged, Ford not giving him an answer, just a look that told him he was right. The man narrowed his eyes slightly, pointing a finger at his brother. "Fine, on one condition: you stay away from the kids. I don't want Mabel _or_ Dipper to get in danger because of you, 'cause as far as I'm concerned, they're the only family I have left." He started to walk upstairs, but stopped, looking back at Ford. "And you aren't fooling anyone, I know you aren't okay with my nephew. And remember he's _your_ nephew as well, and I'm sure family don't hurt each other for no good reason." Stan watched Ford for a second, letting that sink in. "And if I even find you plotting to hurt him in any way, then I won't hesitate to fix that portal back up again and send you right back where you came from." And on that harsh note, Stan disappeared up the stairs.

Ford was actually taken aback. _Had he just... threatened me? Are they really under that much influence from this demon? Maybe this is worse than I thought... But I'll have to work carefully, if I try anything that becomes obvious to Stan, well, I'm not ready to have to kill him. I'll have to get rid of this thing in complete secrecy._

He slowly began moving to the vending machine, opening the door quickly and closed it behind him, going to his underground bunker to see what damage had actually been done. He feared the worse. As he walked into the area where the portal was, he noticed the energy that still surrounded the portal, that was definitely not good.

He crouched down, touched a six-figured hand to the busted up metal, running his hand across it, feeling how warm it was. If the portal had truly shut off, it would have been cold, or at least only slightly warm to the touch. Right now it was hot, not enough to burn his skin, but definitely not lukewarm. _This is bad..._ It was strange, he would normally say his thoughts out loud so he would be able to talk to himself, it was the only way for him to keep himself in the thirty years without contact. But he felt paranoid, was the demon here right now? Floating near him invisible and listening in on what he would say? Or could it read minds too? _Should I even be thinking about this? Is thinking or talking not an option? Calm down Ford, think this through. First things first, I need to dismantle this portal. It's not fully deactivated yet, and that could cause a lot of consequences if it remains operational. To think what that creature could do with it..._

He shook his head, trying to think in the present, too not delve too deep into the memories of his past that he'd wanted to forget for so long. He got up from his position and stood back, thinking. His eyes would dart around from time to time, making sure nobody else was there secretly watching him. After a careful amount of thinking, he walked to the place where he had spied his journal lying on the floor. He'd noticed it earlier, but had been too busy having a heated argument with Stanley at the time to pick it up.

Ford reached out to it, placing his hand against the golden copy on the cover, the number 3 evident on it. He picked up it, before walking to the area closed off from the portal, where number 1 and 2 rested, and placed it by them. His fingers itched to open one of them up and see how they had fared over the years. He wondered if anything had changed, but then he wondered if he even remembered what he'd written in them in the first place, it had been so long.

Taking a calmed breath, he opened number 3 to see it. He took a sharp breath as he flicked through the pages. It was all still there, obviously not in perfect condition after thirty years, but all his notes were still readable, all of his sketches still as great as they always were. But one thing made him pause, the fact that there were blue inked writing covering the different pages. He first noticed it on the pages covering the gnomes. It was curious, someone had written 'leaf-blowers' for its weakness, when he had never been able to find one. When he looked closer, the hand-writing was obviously that of a child, did that mean the girl had found this book? He flicked through the book too the end, almost startled to see whole entries written in the same handwriting.

Out of curiousity, he started to read them, trying to figure out who the author was, how ironic. But as he read more into it, it decided it couldn't be the girl writing all these notes, the author would refer to her in the third person, so there had to be someone else writing. _Who...?_ Then it struck him, whoever had written this was the child's sibling, no, _brother._ _But the girl had called the demon her brother, and the affection she had for him seemed real... Maybe the demon is taking the form of her brother, and has killed him and taken his place? It would explain how they defended him so quickly._

He sat down, reading more into the book. _What happened before I arrived? What led to this monsters arrival?_ "Was there a boy before the demon?" He said a loud finally, listening as his voice echoed around the room slightly.

* * *

So heres the next chapter. ;) I hope you enjoyed it. I have a big arc that I plan on implementing, though it probably won't come up till December. Me and LainaFantasyGirl have been discussing it, and I think I'll have it all sorted out soon, and I'll start building too it, but you'll have to try and figure out what it is by yourself, this is something I ain't gonna spoil. ;)

Another thing to note is that I'm in the process of drawing a cover for this story. Now it won't be a great piece of fan art I found, and instead it will be something I'll have drawn which will probably be terrible. I'll have it ready by the next update, so it'll be great to see what you think ;)

And I'm glad that you all enjoyed the code last week, so I'll be continuing them in the same style. Last weeks was a bit general, but from now on the codes will be specific for that chapter. For any of you who struggled to decipher it, you first need to decode it using the A126Z cipher, then the Atbash, and then Caeser. Let's see if you can crack this one!

 **4-16-19 11-23-10 1-15-4-16 16-15-5 22-9-9-13-5 16-23-5 11-23-10-25 18-19-23-6-5, 22-3-4 16-19 16-23-5-10'4 11-19-12-12-9-1-19-20 15-10 23-12-12 4-16-19-5-19 25-19-23-6-5**

 **1-15-12-12 16-19 3-10-20-19-6-5-4-23-10-20 1-16-23-4 16-19 21-23-10-10-9-4 5-19-19, 9-6 1-15-12-12 4-16-15-10-17-5 20-15-5-5-9-12-2-19 15-10-4-9 21-23-4-23-5-4-6-9-8-16-19?**


	36. Chapter 34 Dealing With The Present

I heard... the news. If you aren't crying your eyes out at the news of the show ending, then you're handling it all a lot better than I have. I can't believe this amazing show is coming to an end, but it's going to go out with a bang, I bet. I mean, a one hour special!? That's freakin' awesome! I guess this makes up for the movie we hoped for.

* * *

 **Chapter 34**

 _Dealing With The Present_

* * *

After Mabel was finished interrogating him with lots of personal questions, Dipper was almost thankful for getting some time to himself in the Nightmare Realm. Apparently, to come up with new sweater designs, she needed a lot of source material. Even though she already knew all the answers to what she'd asked him.

Dipper was sitting on the ground now, watching the flames around him as they burned. During Mabel's week in the hospital, he'd decided to do a bit of exploring in the realm to try and ease his mind about what he'd accidentally done to her. In the process, he'd found out that the ground of the Nightmare Realm wasn't in fact hostile, it only looked that way.

He now took the time to watch as the brightly coloured flames moved on ground that looked like molten lava, almost like it was alive. After spending so much time here, the fierce fire didn't seem to bother him, it felt so natural now, like he was the unnatural one. _But I am aren't I? I was never meant to exist here, and yet I do._

It was funny what you could miss in the busy on goings of life, but now that he had time to himself, time to think, he could stop and see the detail in everything. Even in a hellish place like this.

A slight laugh was dragged from the bottom of his throat, which soon turned to one that was voluminous and crazed. _You really are going crazy, aren't you? I don't even know what's so funny, yet... I find the urge to laugh?_ Dipper lied down on the floor, stretching his body out on the ground, as he tried to compress his the giggles. _He's... the Author. My own great uncle is the Author, and he hates me. He hates me more than anything else in the world, just because of what I am._

At some point, his laughter had started to turn into sobs, even though no sadness was rooting in his mind, just... fear. _Fear of the future._ He tried to take his mind off of all this, concentrating on the ground he was lying on, feeling how warm it was under his touch.

Dipper reached his hand out to a flickering flame that was near him, and it made him smile. It was like a little baby compared to other flames, some reaching far up into the sky. He watched as the flame seemingly attached itself to his hand, no longer growing from the floor. The ember grew as he fed his own energy into it, watching as it mixed with the blue of his own flames, spiralling as a red and blue flame. It was so beautiful.

He let the flame go, watching as it rooted to the ground again, the power he had added to it making it surge higher than it had before, it wasn't a baby anymore.

Dipper drew his attention to his face, feeling the tears at her on his face, it was almost annoying. He slowly lifted his hand up and wiped the tears away, his eyes becoming covered for a second, and when he pulled his hand away, a bright yellow glow filled his vision. The fact that it was so sudden and unexpected caused him to cry out in alarm, springing to his feet as his eyes adjusted to the addition of the triangle demon floating close to the ground near him.

His reaction caused a chuckle from Bill, his hands going to his (hips?). "What are you doing, being all brooding here on the floor. Gotten sick of floating?"

Dipper brushed himself off, frowning at the demon. "I just need sometime alone. _Still_ need." He hoped he'd take the hint.

Oh he did, but Bill had decided to ignore it instead. "Well, sorry to break it to you, but if something's wrong, you better tell me, now. I can't have an apprentice who's too phased out to listen to me."

The boy's eyes narrowed as he looked at the triangle. "You want to know what's up? Fine, I'll tell you! It turns out my great uncle had a portal right under the shack, and then his twin brother, who just so happens to be the Author, comes out of it. And what's more? He took one look at me and nearly shot me, and later, he actually did!"

Dipper saw the slightest sign of shock on the demons face. Not the shock of finding out about someone like this, but the shock of finding out about someone like this _again_. But that shock vanished so quickly that he wasn't even sure if it had actually been there, or if he'd just imagined it. Nevertheless, he still asked Bill about it. "So, I bet you've met him before."

The triangle gave him a look, throwing his hands to his sides. "Me? No. I knew who he was and all, but I never met him personally."

Dipper found that very hard to believe, but he didn't push, he knew he wouldn't get an answer if he did. "Well he's living in our basement now, and Stan's making sure Mabel stays away from him. But I doubt she'd want to try and confront him anyway. But it's just... I'm really nervous about him. I want to go down to the basement and see what he's doing down there, but for all I know he has a demon detector or something and he'll shoot me on sight!"

Bill rolled his eye at him. "You do realise even if he does shoot at you, it won't effect you unless you're physical, right?"

"But I don't know," He sighed. "What gun he shot me with before wasn't any ordinary one, it had to be one he got from where ever he's been all this time, it might effect me for all I know. I don't want to get hit again, the first experience wasn't pleasant!"

The demon thought for a second. "I don't see your problem. If you're so scared of him, why don't you just get him to leave? Get your sister to tell the old man to kick him out."

Dipper glared at him. "Don't you think I would have tried that already if it would work? We're technically living in _his_ house. Grunkle Stan doesn't have the power or the right to kick him out, it's Ford that could do it if he wanted to, but he's leaving it alone. Probably to concentrate on whatever he's doing down there..." He murmured, crossing his arms.

"Whatever he's doing, it's none of your concern right now." Bill floated to him, and put an arm around his shoulder, which Dipper quickly shoved off. "You can worry about that when you pop back to the mindscape. Right now we should be focusing on your training. So why don't we contribute a bit more to your image?"

The boy watched him with a mixed look, before sighing. _Maybe's he's right. I might just be worrying too much. It's not like I can do anything right now anyway, I might as well focus on this. After all, doing some training might take my mind off of all of this._ "Haven't we already done all of the stuff I need to be a demon?"

Bill chuckled at his pupils cluelessness. "There's still a lot to figure out, and your first summoning might came sooner than you think. What if you're summoned and you slip up and make a fool of yourself, or end up getting tricked into a deal that won't even benefit you?"

Dipper bit his lip, before sighing. "Fine. Whatever. Can we just get on with it then? I already know most of it, the rest should be easy."

It was funny how wrong he was.

* * *

Bill watched as the boy left, his face turning to one of curiosity once he was alone. "So old Sixer is back now is he? Things are going to get interesting with him around. Does this mean I'll need to speed up my plans?" This worried him, he wasn't sure he had the strength to do what had to be done.

Over the few short weeks since it happened, a lot had happened for the demon. His friends had all but abandoned him, thinking he was now too weak to ever do what he'd promised them. They were fools, all of them. Pyronica was the first to leave, she hadn't even stuck around for a day after she discovered what happened, and Xanthar, Keyhole and Pacifier weren't eager to stay without her, so they were quick after.

When his alliances had started to twiddle, Bill had panicked, making a hasty deal with Pine Tree. It gave him time to recover as much as he could, along with rearrange his plan.

His eye-bats hadn't stuck around either, and with them went Hectorgon and Amorphous Shape, and this was in the short time span of 4 days. After that, he'd expected the rest to leave, however, that hadn't happened, not yet anyway.

8 Ball, Kryptos and Teeth still stuck with him, using the reason that they still believed he could give them what they wanted. Bill respected them for that, they still trusted that he would get the party spinning, unlike the rest of the deserters. _I'll be laughing when we're having the time of our lives, and they are stuck regretting leaving me._

He still believed that he'd be able to in act his plan, but the problem he'd faced was his power level. In the first week he'd been so weak that he'd barely been able to float straight without his cane, and making a deal to increase that power was out of the question. The only other way to gain power was to wait, as a demon's power would grow over time. But it was an agonisingly slow process, he'd doubted he'd be back to his original strength in a long time. However, his remaining friends had offered him parts of their power to strengthen him. After all, he had been the one in charge because he is a dream demon, one of the most powerful types of demons there are.

But even with the power he'd gained from them, he was still little more than a Spirit. It was infuriating. Just one little slip up and he'd gone from being an Elite to a pathetic Spirit, but then again, at least he wasn't a Legion. But that's what concerned him. He was a Spirit now, and as far as he could tell, Pine Tree was as well. But his strength was growing at a worrying rate, within a few human lifetimes the boy could become an Elite, and that wasn't going to be good for Bill.

One of the only reasons he had made the deal with him was so he could monitor his growth and plan accordingly. He would honour his end of the deal, but he wasn't going to let the kids growth get out of hand. If he became a problem, he'd find a way to break him down. But then again, it was an interesting experience to have an apprentice to teach, and Pine Tree was likeable, at least.

Bill was already thinking up possibilities for what would come next, maybe he'd need to make a deal? He would seriously need one if he was going to make this happen, even with the help from his buddies. He made a list of those he'd encountered who'd be the most likely to want to make a deal. His mind rested on a certain boy who he believed was now in prison. Maybe he'd want to break out? He didn't know for sure, most of the future was uncertain to him, part of it had been lost when his power had dropped so significantly. But it was the most likely deal, so while he waited for it to happen, he'd need to get ready for the fun to start.

* * *

So, if you haven't noticed already, this story has a new cover! And it's actually one I made myself with my own drawing and such. It's not perfect, but I just love that I could actually do it! I guess I'm not as terrible a drawer as I thought. I'd really like all your opinions of it, and to see what you think. ;) If you want to see a bigger version of it, you can find it here on my deviantart where I am also called wolfanterror:

art(slash)Someone-Like-Me-573299082

And so, for this weeks code, voila!

 **4-16-19 4-6-15-23-10-17-12-19 15-5 4-6-25-15-10-17 4-9 5-4-23-6-4 4-16-19 8-23-6-4-25**

 **16-9-1-19-2-19-6 16-19 21-23-10'4 5-19-19-11 4-9 17-19-4 4-16-19 13-19-25**

 **4-16-19 19-10-20 9-18 4-16-19 1-9-6-12-20 15-5 1-16-23-4 16-19 6-19-23-12-12-25 1-23-10-4-5**

 **23-10-20 15-4'12-12 16-23-8-8-19-10 15-18 8-15-10-19 4-6-19-19 6-19-5-8-9-10-20-5 4-9 16-15-5 4-23-3-10-4-5**

And remember, work it out with A1Z26, then Atbash, and then Caesar ;)


	37. Chapter 35 The Mixed Feelings

I think I did alright in the mocks! Well, time will tell. I just hope I can get my target grade. If I do, I won't have to resit, and then I can concentrate on giving you chapters! I apologise for last week, I just didn't have the time. :( But here's the next chapter! I'll post it early, since I'm going to be going on a sleepover to my friends. (Which is funny. You'll see why when you read.)

* * *

 **Chapter 35**

 _The Mixed Feelings_

* * *

It had been almost a week since that day, the day that brought Stan's brother back, and things had started to get back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be in a town like this.

A lot of damage had been done to the town because of the gravity anomalies created by the portal, including Greasy's Diner getting flipped completely upside down, and the town hall had had it's roof completely torn off, which had fallen back onto the building, wrecking it beyond use.

As Dipper floated there, watching the news with Stan asleep in the chair, he could already tell the changes in the town. People knew. They were started to understand that the strange happens of the town wasn't just a party trick, or a dream. The news of the 'earthquakes' hadn't even sounded that convincing, like the news reporter didn't believe the report she was giving.

He knew why, of course. He'd taken away the reason they'd never suspected, the reason they forgot every time they encountered something strange or mysterious. The Blind Eye was no more, and with no one there to keep all the weirdness hidden, everyone was realising the town really was strange. And some thought that was a bad thing. _Or maybe it is?_

As far as Dipper knew, people had started leaving already, however it was only a few, and nobody Dipper had personally encountered or spoke to. People were afraid of the town itself, and he couldn't blame them.

* * *

It was only a few hours after that, when Dipper found out about what Mabel was planning. One of her dreaded sleepovers. Luckily, he hadn't been subjected to one of them for a while, and this one would be the first one while he was like... this. _Has Mabel even spoken to Candy and Grenda about all this? About me? I doubt she has, they wouldn't understand anyway._

But maybe there was a silver lining to all this, after all, he didn't _have_ to stay and watch. They were like torture having to sit through them with Mabel. He'd even had to sit through one _as_ Mabel, and he didn't want to bring up any of those horrid memories again.

He was outside the shack now, glad he'd gotten away before they'd arrived. Even now he could hear them screaming along to a pop song he'd heard once. Though now it was entirely destroyed because of them. But he couldn't hold it against Mabel, she deserved something like this, after helping him to adjust to his situation.

It was funny, when they'd taken Mabel to the hospital to remove the cast, the doctors had been shocked, amazed that she'd had such a swift recovery. Though Dipper could tell they didn't think it was natural. After all, they'd be getting their memories back now, wouldn't they?

But Dipper frowned, what could he actually do right now? He looked up at the sun, it still had a a good few hours before it set, so Dipper still had time to spend by himself. He'd timed his travels to the rising and setting of the sun by now, since a clock just didn't seem practical to him these days. Mabel's sleep patterns could be... unpredictable. He had no plans on returning to the Nightmare Realm so soon, so he welcomed the time alone he had right now.

He was walking through the forest now, making sure to firmly plant his feet on the floor; it felt so much more relaxing if he felt like he was human again, even if he internally knew it.

Dipper had found a stream, the slowly sound of water running made him let out a breath. This would be a great place to stop. He put his hands in front of him and took a breath as he slouched to the floor, leaning on a tree. He concentrated in front of him, and sure enough a blue and gold book soon appeared out of thin air, and along with it, soon did a pen that he held in one hand, with the book in the other.

He smiled slightly. Whenever he was alone, he'd record his thoughts and feelings into his journal. But when he thought about it, should he even be calling it that? _Sounds more like a diary... Ha! Mabel was right._ He'd intended it to be a research journal, but that style just didn't fit with him, and soon it had be come what he'd least expected it to, a diary. He guessed writing in it was one of the few things that kept him from panicking about all that was happening. After all, he'd already written quite a long entry about the whole incident with Stan and his brother.

Dipper slowly opened the book, flicking through the many entries to a clean page, soon beginning to write. This entry was specifically about something he had witnessed yesterday, but he hadn't had time to write about it till now.

* * *

 _August 6, 2012_

 _I don't know what it is, but I don't feel that much resent towards Ford. I don't even feel that angry towards him. Once all the anger had finally washed away after he shot me, I just couldn't stay angry at him. Though I still don't like him. Maybe it's because of his lies, or how he seems too dangerous. It might be both. I have a part of me that wants him gone, one way or another. He's too big a risk, right? He might cause harm to Mabel or Stan. But then again, isn't there the equal chance I could?_ _Anyway, it's strange. There's still this small part of me that idolises him, so small that sometimes I forget it's there. But maybe that's the reason I can't bring myself to hate him._

 _What worries me sometimes is at the only time I ever see him, which is at the dinner table, I find myself focusing my attention on him. Thoughts will rush through my head, and I'll have this strange feeling of curiosity and fascination. Well, he is the Author isn't he? I guess maybe that's it. But it worries me that at these moments I'll completely ignore Mabel, like she isn't even there. How about that, I pay more attention to the guy who tried to kill me than the girl who saved me!_

 _And yesterday, I finally built up my courage, and decided to sneak a peek downstairs. It was late, Mabel had already gone to sleep, and I only had about an hour left before I'd have to leave, but I had to give it a try._

 _It's kind of unnerving when I phase through the walls or the floor, but I guess not being physical comes in useful in situations like this. I went down to the basement to see what kind of stuff Ford had been up to, I just had to know. It would be so cool to see the Author in action! But when I got down there, all I found was him asleep. He was slummed at the desk, his head on one of his journals. It made me wonder how hard he'd been working, if he'd pass out like that. But then it made me worry if he had been working hard to find a way to get rid of me._

 _Anyway, I didn't go close to him, in a slight fear that he'd wake up and start shooting at me again, even if I weren't able to get hit again, in the state I was in. Instead, I'd decided to look around the place to see if I could find anything he'd done. And I did, pretty soon._

 _It was the portal, dismantled and broken. It wasn't working anymore, I knew that. I guess because I couldn't feel any energy coming from it anymore. This wasn't something that concerned me though, as I was actually quite happy that it wasn't working. He'd written about it being dangerous, so wouldn't it be right to take it apart so it couldn't be used again. It meant it was another thing that I didn't need to worry about anymore._

 _I moved on from it though, because I was getting a weird feeling from somewhere else in the basement, and I soon followed to where I felt it. It was strange. The feeling felt like the portal, but it felt concentrated and not as widespread. I didn't really understand what it meant, because the portal had been taken apart, there shouldn't have been any power left, right?_

 _But it was soon proved otherwise, because I saw something on the other side of the desk, and it caught my eye. When I approached it first, it reminded me of a snow globe. Heck, I thought it was one. But when I looked closed I knew it couldn't be one._

 _The 'snow globe' was made of metal, with pipes securing the glass orb in place. However the contance of the orb wasn't fake snow, or something like that. It held a moving blob of what seemed like space, and it glowed a faint blue as it moved around inside._

 _This was the thing that I had felt before. This blob contained all the energy of the portal, condensed down into a small container. At first it fascinated me, but soon that fascination turned to a strange urge to grab that globe and smash it. I barely knew what I was doing when I found myself reaching out to take hold of it, but when my hands went right through it, it snapped me out of it._

 _I instantly knew that this thing had to be bad. It is bad, isn't it? I know that my human side didn't want to break it, so it had to be the demon. Whatever was in that container was dangerous, maybe a bi-product of the portal._

 _I've decided to stay away from it, because it's got a bad feeling about it. But though, that bad feeling came with a welcomed one of excitement, no matter how hard I try to ignore it. Some part of me welcomed the chance for a bit of adventure, even if it meant causing a bit of destruction, I know something like that will happen if that thing breaks. I mean, it has to, right? What other reason could Ford have for keeping it in a secure container like that?_

 _But what if it's something he'd going to use to hurt me? What if it's something that he's going to use to hurt all of us? I just don't know if I can even consider him an ally to my family. I know he hates me, I know he won't accept me. Though I wish I could just give him an explanation, we didn't even get to actually talk before all that stuff with the agents went down and... he shot me. I could try and put him to sleep so I could talk to him, but maybe I'm just too scared to do it. Maybe I don't want him to understand. Maybe I want an enemy to keep things interesting?_

 _All I know right now for sure is this, whatever that thing he's got in the basement is, I need to stay away from it. It's too dangerous to be around. What if I turn physical again and I end up smashing it because the pull is too strong? It might be something good, but it might equally be something bad. And with that containment, it's most likely the latter._

* * *

His entry done, Dipper took a short breath as he got up, clicking his fingers and soon the book, and the pen, poofed into none existence for when he needed them next. Which he felt like was really soon.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed. ;) I wanted to do a little diary entry to show Dipper's feelings and emotions a bit more about him finding out about the rift which he calls 'the blob'. I hope it was a nice change.

This weeks code isn't as good in my opinion, but at least I got it to rhyme!

Remember, A1Z26 first, then Atbash, then Caesar. ;)

 **3-10-23-22-12-19 4-9 8-6-9-4-19-21-4 4-16-9-5-19 16-19 21-23-6-19-5 18-9-6 11-9-5-4**

 **1-16-23-4 4-9 20-9 1-16-19-10 25-9-3'6-19 10-9-4-16-15-10-17 22-3-4 23 17-16-9-5-4?**

 **16-19 18-19-19-12-5 4-16-19 20-23-10-17-19-6 23-8-8-6-9-23-21-16-15-10-17 5-1-15-18-4-12-25**

 **5-11-23-5-16 4-16-19 17-12-9-22-19 23-10-20 4-16-19 19-10-20 1-15-12-12 21-9-11-19 22-6-15-5-13-12-25**


	38. Update

First off, I'm writing this on my phone, so sorry for any grammer mistakes.

Okay, there isnt going to be an update this week because school mock exams are next week and Ive been busy revising. Exams are coming around quicker and qui ker, huh?

I apologise greatly for not getting a chapter today when i said i would every saturday. Things will be back to normal next week, and i hope you can understand.

Il be deleting this entry come next weekend.

Once again im sorry for this convenience.


	39. Chapter 36 They're Not All The Same

Only 13 days till christmas! And what's better? It's only 6 fays till my birthday. Hehe... Can't wait for that! So this chapters a bit of a Ford backstory one, that will be fun! (Hopefully, I don't know what you guys like...)

Also, I want to give a shout out to someone who's been working really hard at creating his own fanfiction for Gravity Falls. His name is TheTrueAmerican and he has a story called When The Sky Falls that you should check out. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 36**

 _They're Not All The Same_

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?"

Dipper was jolted out of his thoughts, Mabel's loud voice interrupting them. He snapped his eyes to her, frowning slightly. He remembered starting to listen to her about something... Though he couldn't remember what. "Sorry, I'm just a bit caught up in my thought... I guess."

It was true, even though he'd tried putting all his thoughts and worries of the globe to rest by writing in his journal, it still hadn't worked. There was nothing else he could think about. He still didn't even know what it was.

"What you got on your mind then, it better be interesting!" Mabel was lying on her bed, Waddles snuggled up next to her. She wasn't going to sleep though, just relaxing. It was only 2pm, after all.

Dipper looked over at her from his own. He was holding a book in an attempt to distract himself from his thoughts, but it was hard when the book was completely blank on the inside. He still hadn't gotten the hang of making complete copies of anything he'd read.

As he looked at her, his thoughts concentrating for a second as he shrugged. "Nothing really, I guess it's just some stuff that Bill taught me recently." He pulled the lie like it was nothing, he'd already had one set up for a situation like this. He tended to get lost in his thoughts a lot recently, much to his worry.

Dipper knew from the start that he wasn't going to tell her about that snow globe he find less than two days ago. How could he? 'So I found this ball thing down in Ford's basement. I'm not sure what it is though.' _She'd just be too curious, and could try and get close to it. What if I'm not just paranoid and it really is dangerous? She could get hurt! It's best if she doesn't know about it._

Mabel was looking at him again with curiosity. "What kind of stuff? Come on, Dipping Sauce. You can't just leave me hanging like that!"

He sighed. _Why didn't I know she would want more information? Come on Dipper, think on your feet._ "Just some boring summoning stuff, you wouldn't really be interested in it."

She looked like she was about to try to squeeze more information, literally and figuratively. But Dipper was saved by non other than their Great Uncle Ford, knocking on the door once before entering, not waiting for an answer. "Mabel? I need to talk to you."

Dipper went on alert as soon as he entered, quickly making his book disappear before floating over to Mabel to protect her if necessary, he didn't really know with Ford.

Mabel on the other hand, stayed where she was, but her eyes narrowed slightly. It was clear to everyone that she had a distaste for Ford, and it was clear why. He'd hurt her brother, and she wasn't going to forgive him for that. "What do you want? Didn't Stan tell you to leave us alone?"

Ford tensed for a second, his eyes glancing around for a second. "It's here too?"

"You mean ' _He's_ here too'. And yes, _he_ is." She said, slight bitterness in her voice.

The man looked at her for a second, deciding whether or not to speak to her while Dipper was in their presence. But he soon said, "You need to understand, you and Stanley are in great danger. This demon is trying to corrupt your minds. Can't you see that it's just tricking you? I've already figured it out, you had a bother called Dipper, right? And you think this monster is him? But it's not. It killed him and took his form to thread you with this lie." He tried to explain, to get her to understand. Ford had to save them, no matter how much he disliked his brother for what he did, he couldn't just let him, and his niece become victims of a spawn of hell.

Mabel looked at him with a face that showed she was fed up. "Can you just stop it, okay? I know you have this delusional fantasy that you're the sane one and we're all crazy..." She took a breath to try and calm herself down. "But can you... just keep it to yourself? You talk so horribly about Dipper, and you don't even give him the chance to explain everything to you."

"Why should I? _He_ is a demon, and you can't trust them. You can't give them enough time to think, let alone act."

"But that's just wrong." She thought for a second. "Why do you even hate demons so much?

Ford was taken aback slightly by her question, "What?"

"Exactly that. Why? You can't hate demons just for the sack of it. There must be a reason."

 _Should I talk? If she understands why they are so bad, would it be easier to snap her out of it? But with that demon here, would it be the best idea to talk about such sensitive topics..._ "You really want to know?"

 _If I can understand why he hates them so much, maybe I'll be able to show him why Dipper isn't like them._ "Yes."

 _Why don't I like where this is going?_ Dipper thought worriedly to himself.

Ford took a look at Mabel, before sighing. "Fine. It all started before I even built the portal. I'd hit a road block in my investigation of Gravity Falls, until I found some mysterious writing in a cave. Ancient incantations about a being with answers. It wanted me not to read them, but I was desperate. I read the inscription aloud, but nothing happened. Until later that afternoon, when I had the most peculiar dream."

He closed his eyes for second as he remembered the memory of his first meeting. "That's where I met Bill."

Mabel's eyes widened, though she'd already figured that he'd had to have met him before.

Dipper's eyes narrowed slightly. _Sure you haven't met Ford. Sure you didn't, you big lair._

Ford continued his story, not stopping to allow Mabel any time for questions _. "_ He told me he was amused. That he chose one brilliant mind a century to inspire. What a fool I was. Blinded by his flattery. Soon, he became my research assistant. He was free to move in and out of my mind as he pleased, we were partners." He voice bittered slightly. "When he told me I could complete my research by building a gateway to other worlds, I trusted him. He said this was the way genius happened, the little help from a friend. It seemed that I was on the verge of my greatest achievement... until my partner got a glimpse of Bill's true plans."

 _So Bill was the one who'd showed him how to make the portal... And he didn't even tell me? But why would Bill keep information like that from me, how could keeping it a secret benefit him? And what are his true plans? Am I... am I a part of them?_ Dipper thought deeply on the subject, but made sure not to lose too much concentration of Ford, his story didn't feel like it was over.

Mabel was starting to understand what he must feel like, but there was one thing that bugged her about it all. "But that's wrong. You can't just hate a whole group of creatures just because one of them tricked you. Bill is the worse there is, not all of them are like that!"

"I wasn't finished. Bill was just the first. The rest I encountered were after I went into the portal."

"You mean..."

"Demons exist everywhere. What, did you think they were exclusive to this dimension? Of course not!" Ford slightly laughed, but it was bitter and harsh. "When I went in that portal, I ended up in a world I can only describe as a wasteland."

 _The heat was incredible, making him feel like he was in the Sahara desert, and it looked a lot like it too. There wasn't a sign of any life for miles, making him wonder if there was even any left. What could have done like?_

 _He walked for as long as he could, before his legs buckled beneath him. What else could he do? He had nowhere to go, no way to get back to his dimension. It was hopeless._

 _ **"You... are in a bit of a pickle, aren't youuuu..."** His head jolted upwards, his legs scrambling to get him back on his feet, but to no avail. That voice hadn't sounded human. He looked around, his eyes finally resting on the creature it had come from._

 _It was a demon, one that looked so much more frightening than Bill Cipher. It was completely black in colour, with a slightly humanoid shape to it. it's head was round, with a spider like appearance to it. Four large soulless white eyes resting upon it's face. The rest of it's face dedicated to a hole, sharp death rotating within it. As his head travelled, he noticed the demon had a long tail, like a scorpion's, curling around it's body. Four legs supported it, which were long, and bug-like in appearance, with the tips looking to be knife sharp. Along with this, it had two long spindly arms stretching out from it's torso, three clawed fingers on it's hands. The middle finger being much longer and sharper than the rest._

 _It was smiling at him, as much as it could with that mouth full of teeth. **"You aren't one of the survivors I've witnessed before... are you? You smell... different. You have a lot of emotions inside you right nowwww... Hurt, panic, confusion, and Curiosityyyy..."**_

 _Ford froze, it was reading his mind. Which meant, if he tried to think of a way to escape, the demon would already know and be able to stop it before it even happened. But what did it want? "What... Do you want?"_

 ** _"Nothing much... Should I take this opportunity to take your soul before another snatches you up?"_**

 _He gulped, trying not to show his fear, but he was failing. "I'm not... going to make a deal with you."_

 _A sickening laugh escaped the demon as it approached a bit closer to him. **"You really aren't from here are youuuu? My kind hasn't needed to make deals in... hundreds of yearssss... We can do whatever we want... whenever we want... Which meanssss... I can eat you right here and now."**_

 _The creature launched at him before he could even react, and pinned him to the ground. Ford's eyes were wide and fearful, the creatures breath on his face and stinking of rotten flesh. **"Ha... ha... I can't let something like you go to waste... I need to enjoy you slowlyyyy..."**_

 _The demon placed it's claws on his chest, and started to drag him, clawing through his clothes and into his skin, and he started to scream. The clawing became harsher and deeper, blood spilling as the monster carved into his skin._ **"Ha...! Ha...! Feasting on your organs before your soul will make it so much sweeter...!"**

 _And all Ford could think about was the pain, and the fact that he knew he was going to die. He was going to die in the most painful way possible, and there was nothing he could do to stop it._

"But before that monster could finish me off, some of the surviving humans saved me, and I wouldn't even be alive today if it weren't for them." Ford sighed as he finished, not liking having to unearth such painful memories. "Sadly, I still have the scars from the experience. It's why I always where my sweater."

Mabel felt uneasy, she knew Bill was bad. But not... that bad. She felt sick to her stomach, wondering how anything could do such a thing and... enjoy it.

Dipper didn't know what to think. What could he think. _No wonder he feels so much distrust to them. How could he even give a demon a chance after something like that... Should I... feel sorry for him?_

There was a agonising silence for the longest of times, before Mabel spoke up, her voice quiet and shaky. "But that was just... two."

The man spoke directly at her, his voice hard. "Try two hundred. A man like me? For a demon it's like I've got a target painted on my head." Then he stepped away from her, and quietly and quickly, he walked to the door. Just before he left, he looked back at her. "Please, my hatred is from experience. Shouldn't I know better than you?" And then he was gone.


	40. Chapter 37 Without Thinking

**Chapter 37**

 _Without Thinking_

* * *

There was a painful silence in the room after the Author had left, making Mabel feel sick to her stomach. There was nothing for her to say, nothing for either of them to say after what they had just learnt.

She took a glance at her brother, who looked even more affected by this than she was. So Mabel carefully took his hand into hers and gave him a slightly pained smile. It didn't seem to help him at all.

 _So that's what he was hiding, all this time? I... don't blame him. How can I blame him? How can I even blame him for his hate of me? If I had been in the same situation would I be so willing to trust a demon that magically appeared with my family, after I was nearly torn apart by one? After I was betrayed by one?_ Dipper didn't know what it was, but he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

 _Is Ford's hate rational? It has to be... hasn't it. After all, I know I can't trust Bill. He lied about Ford. But why? There's no point in hiding anything from me, unless he still has plans he doesn't wish to share with me. Which means it can't be anything good._ Dipper thought as he was taught some nonsense by Bill that he'd soon forget. He couldn't focus on anything, his mind elsewhere. _I'll confront him about it soon. Just not... now._

"Kid, snap out of it, okay? I'm trying to talk to you here!"

Dipper tried to focus on him, those words managed to penetrate the thick fog that was his mind. "Huh? I'm... sorry. I just... Can we not do this today?"

The triangle looked at him with a face of confusion and a bit of curiosity. "Something on your mind, Alcor?"

The boy felt his insides burn slightly at the mention of his demon name. Bill had found that it annoyed him a whole lot more than Pine Tree, so he'd started to call Dipper by that instead. His reason had been 'So no other demons ask questions', but Dipper knew the real reason. It was just to keep on being his annoying self.

Dipper didn't know what it was, but he'd started hating that name. Alcor. At first, it wasn't so bad. Just a name to go by if any other demons came up to him and started trying to talk to him. But as the reality set in that he'd have to use it as his new name soon, when he started to be summoned, it had left a bad taste in his mouth. Just another stark reality he had to adjust to.

"Nothing of concern to you. Please. Just... leave me alone, could you?"

Dipper was expecting some witty comment or something like that. But instead he got, "Fine. There's no point in teaching you if you're in a mood that won't allow you to listen."

The triangle looked at him for a second, before vanishing. It left Dipper to have a think to himself for once.

* * *

Bill felt exhilarated, he'd just been summoned. By the very person he knew he would be eventually. Bill found himself in the confines of a prison cell. It wasn't much to his liking, but he could adjust. Especially for what he was going to do.

The demon gave a chuckle as he looked at the boy who had just summoned him. That little big haired meat sack had summoned him again, and Bill already knew what he wanted. "Nice to meet you again, Gideon!" He tipped his hat slightly, before adding just for the boys benefit, "What do you want from me this time?"

Gideon was looking at him with a sort of relief at the sight of Bill. "Listen to me, demon. Ya... Ya gotta get me out of here! I just can't take it anymore."

Bill chuckled. "Right! You want me to break you out? Well, let me see..." A mix of images played across his features of all sorts of different ways of breaking him out, before going back to yellow. "I know! Though it won't be immediate. Care to stay put for a few more days?"

The kid glared at him slightly, but was willing to listen. "A few more days... How... How are ya gonna get me out?"

"Let's not worry about the details!" Bill put an arm around him, chuckling. "But what we do need to worry about it what you'll give me in return. And I already have my request planned for you!"

Gideon looked at him worriedly. What kind of thing would the demon want? "What do ya want from me? I... I don't have anything to give while I'm in here!"

"I don't want any possessions! All I require is your service."

"Service?"

"Yep! I have a big plan coming up, and I'll need someone to guard for me. I think you'd be perfect for the role!"

"Guard? I could get the inmates to help me if ya break them out too... But I'm not going to guard something just like that! What is it?"

Bill gave him a laugh. "How much do you hate Pine Tree?"

Gideon frown for a second, before recognising who he had to mean. "Dipper Pines... I hate him more than anything! Him and the Pines family!"

"That's all I needed." And his hand lit up in a blue flame.

The two shook hands.

* * *

Mabel noticed the change in Dipper. He was quite, reserved, and lost in thought most of the time. He would barely register her anymore, her having to practically yell at him to get his attention. _What is going on inside his head? Something had to be wrong._ She remembered it had all started after their Grunkle Ford had come up to their room and told his story.

She'd understood how it could have caused him to become so against demons but... that didn't change anything. _Still. Just because ninety nine percent of demons are horrible, doesn't mean you should treat the one percent just like them. Dipper's one of that small percentage, and he always will be._

Mabel wished he could just go back to being her brother again instead of this isolated boy she didn't know. And what's worse? The change had only been over two days. Her brother, gone. Just like that. He'd still come back to visit her, but it wasn't a nice meeting. It was a silent one, with every word she spoke going over his head.

* * *

Dipper could feel it crushing him, all the thoughts in this head. He couldn't get them out. He wanted to stop thinking about it so badly, but he just couldn't. _Eventually, I'm going to end up like Bill, aren't I? There's no going around it. I just... can't get out of that fate can I? Eventually, the demon is going to take over what's left of my humanity, and I'm going to be just like the rest of the demons out there. Just like Ford believes me to be. I'll be a monster._

 _I'm going to be a monster, enjoying the suffering of others and wishing it on them. I'm going to go around and inflict pain on the humans who summon me for help. And I can't do anything to stop it._ _No matter how many times Mabel says it won't happen, it will. Once she's not there to keep me sane, there won't be anything left for me to cling onto. Nothing to help me keep my mind._

He felt like his mind was shattering, with nothing capable of stopping it. He felt fragile, like glass. Probably because he was. Until, it just stopped. That harsh reality that he couldn't get away from just went away. All those horrible thoughts attacking his mind just... disappeared. His mind was able to focus, and there was one thing he was going to do first. Get answers. Now.

Dipper could see Mabel sitting next to him, and wanted so badly to tell her he was fine. But he still wasn't. Maybe he was worse. Being able to think straight was making all of it much more painful.

He had to set it to rest, so he quietly said, "I have to go." And before Mabel had even registered that he'd spoken, he was gone. Just like that. Back to the place where he would find the one person he needed to question.

* * *

Mabel's eyes were wide, looking to her side to where her brother had just been. Had he just... left? She quickly looked around, making sure he wasn't just sneaking up on her or something to give her a scare. When she was sure he had just disappeared, her features went slack. _Dipper just left me. I know he's having a hard time, but..._ She didn't know what to think. The only place Dipper could have gone to was that place where all the demons lived, the Nightmare Realm. _How could he want to be there instead of here... I could help him! If he just talked to me, I could get him out of this funk._

A single tear dripped down her face, before her face hardened. _It's... It's all Grunkle Ford's fault! He makes Dipper feel rotten around him! Dipper loved the Author, he spent so much time trying to find him and yet... the guy's awful! He thinks we're all possessed or something because of Dipper, and every day he's plotting to try and kill him! Who does something like that?!_

Mabel could feel it inside her, the anger. She was clenching her firsts as they shook violently. She barely ever got this mad. Heck, the only time she'd ever got this mad was when she'd dealt with the bullies who picked on Dipper at school. _Ford's the monster here! He's the reason Dipper's so depressed. He's the reason my brother's left me._ She had to have a little 'talk' with her great uncle.

She was walking as calmly as she could out the door, her movements harsh and angry. No longer bouncy and energetic like her normal self. Mabel went right past Stan, who was sitting in the living room. He could practically feel the anger radiating from her. "Hey kid, what's the matter?"

But she ignored him, continuing her walk. Mabel felt so angry, she could barely think straight because of the wall of hate that blocked her mind. But one thing she did manage to think was why she was so angry. Maybe she had just been waiting for something to set her off, because it seemed like it. Dipper couldn't be gone forever, right? He just needed to blow off some steam or something like that. _But what if he's gone for good? What if he's never going to come back?_

Mabel looked at the vending machine, slamming her fist into it as she took a breath. She needed to calm down, but she just couldn't. Her eyes focused on the buttons in front of her, and she in putted the code that she still remembered from that day they'd used it. Taking another breath, the door opened in front of her and she stepped inside, closing it behind her.

She began to walk down the stairs, her fists clenched so tight she thought she might break them if they got any tighter. Mabel's eyes were hard. Ford was going to regret ever worrying about demons. He should of been worrying about her instead.

* * *

I'm offically 16 now! Woohoo! My parents even got me a plush Waddles, so I love them now. Anyway, this chapter kind of came into it's own. I was planning on doing something else instead, but decided it would flow better if I wrote this as a kind of inbetween. Get ready for some intense stuff next chapter. Or next two chapters. I'm not entirely sure how long the next part will be. It might fit in a chapter, or it might be two. If it's two, then there will be a chapter on Wednesday, and a chapter on Friday. (It'll be later than usual on Friday, because... well, it's Christmas.) But then again, I normally post on Saturday, don't I? Well, it'll be a Christmas treat. ;)

And you know what feeling when you forget to add a code at the end of a chapter? I feel that right now. Because I looked back and what do you know? There's no code for last weeks chapter! Haha! Sorry about that.

So here's this weeks, anyway. So remember, if your going to decode it, it's A1Z26, Atbash and then Caesar:

 **4-16-19-25 22-12-23-11-19 4-16-19 11-23-10 22-19-12-9-1 18-9-6 11-15-5-18-9-3-6-4-3-10-19**

 **25-19-4 4-16-19 6-19-23-12 11-19-10-23-21-19 16-23-5 10-19-23-6-12-25 1-9-10**

I know it's really short and really, really bad. But I honestly don't have anything for this chapter. Expect a better one for next time ;)


	41. Chapter 38 Your Fault

What's this? A update before I said I would? Hallelujah! Well, it's a little bit shorter than usual, but it thought this was the best place to end it. If I'd continued it any further, the next part would have been rushed. And I really don't want to rush it.

* * *

 **Chapter 38**

 _Your Fault_

* * *

She was trying to rain it in, trying to calm herself, as she travelled down the elevator. Mabel actually noticed that there was a floor between the shack and the basement, but her anger didn't allow her to be curious about it.

 _How can he be so horrible?! Grunkle Ford is the reason Dipper's so down. He's the reason he left. Why can't he be a nice person for once? Why can't he see that Dipper isn't the bad guy?_ Mabel looked down at her trembling fists as the elevator went down to the basement, trying to focus on them and control this anger again. Still no effect.

She heard the elevator stop, her heart starting to beat faster as the doors opened to reveal the dark space where her great uncle resided. _Here goes nothing._

The girl burst fourth from the confined space, storming through the area of computers, spying the man working in the area where the portal... use to be. _He took it apart?_ She brushed those thoughts aside. She had better things to worry about.

He hadn't noticed her at all. Well, he did when she stopped behind him and yelled. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

Ford jolted up from his crouched position immediately, looking at the red faced and furious girl who had magically appeared down in his basement. "Mabel... What are you doing down here? You shouldn't be here!"

Mabel completely ignored him, "Why couldn't you be nicer? Why couldn't you actually look with your eyes for once instead of your head? Dipper is a good guy, and you make him feel like he isn't!"

"We've had this converstation before, you shouldn't believe a word it-"

She cut him off quickly, "No, no! Shut the hell up about that, because none of it's true! What actual evidence do you have to support all of your whacked up ideas that bounce around in your head? When have you ever seen Dipper do anything like the other demons?"

"The government agents. It nearly killed them. It was going to, until I stopped it."

"He was just trying to get them to go away, to leave us alone. Why can't you see that? Dipper only wanted to scare them, and he did just that! What were you going to do instead, try and talk to them? If it weren't for my brother you, Stan, and probably Soos too, you'd all be in prison now! Is that what you wanted?"

The man gritted his teeth, the girl was becoming annoying. She just didn't listen to reason. "Kid, will you quit that? This thing isn't your brother, it's just pretending to be! Wherever your real brother is now, I'm sure he'd want you to see the truth."

Mabel couldn't believe he'd just said that. That he'd just went there. A bubble of anger boiled to the surface, and she kicked him in the leg. But she wasn't surprised that it didn't have any effect. "No, you need to see the truth! I'm sick of having to listen to you and your messed up theories. You could have just sat down and let me explain the whole thing to you... But that wouldn't even work, would it. Even if I explained, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

She didn't know when, but at some point, she'd started to cry. Tears were rolling quickly down her face, and Mabel realised she didn't feel as angry anymore. She wasn't finished yet though, but nearly.

Ford took a step to her, reaching out a hand. "Kid, just calm down okay? You're not thinking clearly. If you just listen to me for a sec-"

"No, you listen to me. I'm not going to listen to a word that comes out of your mouth, because it's just going to be lies." Mabel looked at her fists. She wasn't clutching them as tightly anymore, and they weren't shaking as much, so she took a step away from him. "You come here... thinking you know what's best for us... But you don't know anything! You don't know anything that happened here before you, and you don't want to let anyone explain it to you. Dipper just... messed up, okay? Me and him... we were stupid. Can't you... understand that?" Her eyes had gotten blurry, the tears clouding her vision slightly.

Mabel took another step back, continuing before Ford had a chance to speak. "Dipper didn't want this... he didn't want any of this. You're just making it all worse for him! You treat him like a monster, like something inhuman. I'm trying to help him stay happy, and yet you treat him like that! What is wrong with you?" The tears were falling faster, making it harder to see so she wiped them away, backing away again.

"I bet... I bet you're down here thinking up ways to hurt him. Because that's the person you are. You're a horrible person like that. I bet all the stuff your doing is to cause him pain. Like... Like..." She glanced around to find something that he'd made, and her eyes rested on a globe sitting on a table. Mabel and Ford locked eyes, and then she bolted to it, picking it up. The globe nearly fell out of her hands, but she managed to hold onto it.

The man ran to her, panic in his eyes. He held his hands out. "Give that back to me, now! You don't know what you're doing, that rift is dangerous!"

Mabel looked at it, backing away as far as she could, she was nearly back at the elevator. "This thing... it's so you can hurt Dipper, isn't it! This is something you're going to use to hurt him!"

"It's going to hurt all of us if you don't hand it over to me, right now!" His words were harsh, making her flinch slightly.

Mabel gritted her teeth. "I hate you! You only... care about yourself. And I'm going to make sure that nobody gets hurt because of you. Including Dipper." She ran as fast as she could to the elevator and opened the door, pressing the button to close it as she got inside. She watched as the man yelled at her to stop, running after her, but not managing to get to the doors before they closed.

The girl blinked, the silence around her filling her with a mixture of emotions. _Had I just... done that?_ She looked down at the globe in her hands, looking at the swirling blackness within it. _I wonder what this thing is, Ford called it a rift, didn't he. I wonder how he was going to use it to hurt Dipper._

Then she looked up at the ceiling, nothing to listen to but the droning of the elevator as it moved. Mabel leaned against the side, feeling the tears rolling down her face thick and fast. Her eyes were blurry again, but she didn't have the strength to wipe the tears away.

She felt numb, her body was cold. _Dipper could be gone forever. He might never come back. Where does... that leave me? What am I without him? If he's gone, I won't be able to cope. What... do I do without him?_ _I'm... nothing._ Mabel felt herself breaking down, her hands clutching the rift like her life depended on it as she cried.

The doors of the elevator opened, and she stepped out. She hurriedly went up the stairs to the exit, arms still wrapped around the rift as the tears dripped down her face. She must have looked like a mess, but she didn't care.

Mabel felt her feet slamming into the floor boards as she ran as fast as she could. She ran out of the shack and into the woods, because she couldn't think of anywhere else to go. There was nowhere else she could go.

She'd been running for hours, or at least that's what it felt like to her. Her feet were sore, and her eyes were blurry, she was lucky she hadn't tripped over. The sobbing girl rested at a tree, her eyes bloodshot as she looked up at the sky. She noticed the sun was starting to set. _Funny how you noticed stuff like that when you feel like a wreck._

Mabel put the rift in her sweater pocket, and she started to hug herself, crying as much as she could to try and get all of it out. All of those emotions she hated so much, they made her feel like a different person.

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were?" She sobbed as she closed her eyes and pulling her sweater as far over her head as she could.

 _Why can't they, indeed._ Thought an unknown presence near her.

* * *

So yeah, I guess it is going to be more than one chapter. Heck, depending on what the next chapter looks like, this part might be even longer, taking up three chapters instead of two. It's just something I want to get right, you know?

Also, a warning for the next chapter. The start's going to be weird, because it won't start immediately after the end of this chapter. It's going to back track to when Dipper goes back to the Nightmare Realm to show his talk with Bill. Lets see if it goes any better with him than Mabel with Ford. ;)

And just something I want to add. You know my birthday? I thought my mum and dad hadn't gotten me a cake, but they got everyone in my family together today and what do I find them bringing to the table? A flipping Bill Cipher cake. They've got some cake making skills right there.

Anyway, expect an update either tomorrow or the day after, because I'm an seriously enjoying writing all this.


	42. Chapter 39 Don't Let Go

Just gotta say... This one. This one's a doosey. It's 2,800 words long, when a normal chapter is 2,000... So yeah. You know it's gonna blow your minds. I hope you're ready for the ride of a lifetime. Just, remember to put on a seatbelt. You'll need it.

* * *

 **Chapter 39**

 _Don't Let Go_

* * *

 _ **Sometime Earlier...**_

* * *

"Bill, Bill where are you!" Dipper called out into the infinite hell around him, almost surprised that the triangle hadn't found him first. He was almost always there to greet him when Dipper came back from the mindscape, but today he wasn't there.

 _It's almost like he knows why I'm here._ The boy gritted his teeth slightly at the thought as he drifted quickly through the air, glancing around him to try and spot the demon. "Where are you? I need to talk to you, Cipher!"

He felt an energy signature appear behind him, and he spun to face Bill Cipher, who had just teleported behind him. The triangle had a smug look on his face as he spoke, "For once you want to talk to me? I'm blessed kid, truly. You really do care!" He gave a chuckle, before giving the boy a look, "And it looks like you're out of your little mood. Finally want to get back to some learning then?"

Dipper cut right to the chase. He didn't answer his question, he just gave him his own. _No more dodging around it. I need to know the truth, now._ "Why did you lie to me?"

That caused a slightly confused look to appear on the triangle's face, "Lie... about what?"

"Ford." His eyes narrowed slightly, "You told me you'd never met him. But he says otherwise."

Bill's features looked mixed for a second, he spoke calmly. "May I ask, what did he say?"

"Nothing much. Just that you and him made a deal. You gave him the knowledge to create the portal, and you got free range in his mind." Dipper waited for his reaction, waited to see how the demon would work the information into his favour.

The triangle demon thought for a second, wanting to choose his words carefully. _So the kid knows about it then... This could mean trouble for me, I'm so close... I can't dance around the truth, I've already lied once, he'll be able to tell if it's just more lies. I've still got a bit of time, so what's the harm?_ "You make it sound so blunt, Alcor. It was a bit more complicated than that. How about I explain?"

Dipper crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. This was going to be good. "Please do."

"You see, it's quite boring to just float around in this realm. And I normally only go to see your realm when I'm summoned. Mostly because I don't see the point in going for any reason other than that. So when your great uncle summoned me looking for answers, I jumped at the opportunity! I gave him all the knowledge to create the portal, yes, but he gave me more. I finally had a body I could possess as much as I wanted. But nothing beats being yourself in the physical plane, right? So naturally the portal was a way to break down the barrier between the two realms, and allow me into yours." Bill almost laughed at the look on the boys face, he looked shocked, slightly angry.

Dipper was surprised by what Bill had said. Not by what he'd actually said, but the fact that he hadn't lied. _He hadn't lied, hadn't he? it didn't seem like a lie._ But he also felt angry. _The portal is so Bill can come to the physical plane, without possession?_ Then a horrible thought struck him. "If it was to allow you through, wouldn't it do the same for the rest of the demons?"

Bill laughed for a second. "Of course, I'm not that special! What would be the fun if I was the only one there? I need others to share in the party! True, it would allow my enemies like Astaroth through as well... But since I'd be the first to be allowed in, I'd have all the power that came with it! No one would be able to ruin my day."

"That would bring on the apocalypse, you'd destroy the world!"

He gave a shrug. "There's always damage at a party, isn't there?"

Dipper felt his anger spike, and he gritted his teeth. His fists were clenched, aglow with his blue flames. "Then, you never gave up on that plan, did you?"

"Of course not! With that last activation, the portal was powerful enough to use. Sadly, Sixer decided to destroy the thing." Bill smiled slightly. "But you can't just destroy the amount of power it had built up. There's more to it than that."

Realising struck Dipper as his thoughts rushed back to the globe he'd found. "Ford... contained it in a-"

"Globe, right?" Bill finished his sentence, smirking.

Dipper's head snapped to him in alarm. "How do you know about that? You've been here the whole time!"

"Kid, I have eyes everywhere. I don't need to be in your realm to know what's going on in it. So I know that old Sixer Fingers contained an interdimensional rift created by the portal in a globe. And I know that if it smashes... Physical form, here I come!"

"All... All this time, you've been lying to me. All this time it's been lies... How... How do I even know if any of the stuff you taught me is true?!"

"Well, it's worked hasn't it? I've been loyal when it came to our deal. I've taught you what I know, and I didn't trick you with any false information."

Dipper could feel his anger trying to boil to the surface, so he took a deep breath. He wasn't going to let it overcome him, he knew what happened when it did. "But I can't trust you, can I? Not when you're plotting to do something that could hurt everyone I care about."

The two stared at each other for a while, neither knowing what to say in this kind of situation. Before Dipper finally spoke, "I can't... I can't keep learning from someone like you. Not after what you just told me. I can't trust someone like you anymore. Maybe at first I thought you would be different now, now that you had to depend on me. But when I look at you, you don't need me, do you? You lied about your powers being weak, because you said it would take years to get strong again. And yet here you are."

Bill looked hard at him. "Then, how do you expect our deal to work?"

"It can't. I'm breaking the deal, Bill. You're not my teacher anymore."

"If I were you, I'd reconsider. Maybe if you stuck with it, I wouldn't need to be so hard on you when the time comes."

"No, no! Don't try and scare me. I'm just as powerful as you, if not more. You can't hurt me. I've learnt all I can from you, and I don't intend to learn anymore. I'm ending it, Cipher. Right now."

"Then so be it, kid."

Dipper felt something snap inside of himself, which left him with a sickening feeling that he instantly hated. Had that been the right thing to do? _Of course it was. I can't stay with a lying trickster like him. And besides, he wants to do something that'll hurt Mabel, and everyone else as well!_

"See how well you cope on your own, Pine Tree. You haven't seen the worse yet." Bill turned away from him, began to float in the opposite direction. "I'll see you around. Maybe. By the way, I heard there's a meteor shower tonight, so I might watch that."

The kid watched him for a second, before looking the other way. He felt a bit sick, and actually a bit nervous about the Nightmare Realm now that he had to fend for himself. He didn't intend on staying here when he still had time with Mabel, so within seconds he'd left the realm, going back to his own.

* * *

Dipper appeared in his and Mabel's bedroom, so he was surprised when he found that she wasn't still there. Frowning slightly, he sank down through the floor to see if she was in any of the downstairs room. The only thing he found downstairs was Ford and Stan having an argument. _Just like usual._ It sounded a lot more intense, with a lot more yelling than usual, but Dipper didn't care enough to listen to what they were saying.

 _I wonder where she could have gotten off to?_ Dipper thought with slight worry as he floating around the shack. She definetly wasn't inside. Heck, he'd even gone down to the basement for a second to check. Strangely, the 'rift', as Bill had called it, wasn't there. Dipper didn't think much off it though.

After a bit, Dipper decided she must have been out in the town or maybe playing with her friends. Nothing to worry about. What he had to worry about, was the fact that Bill was now a problem he had to take care off. And that meant protecting the shack.

He already know what he'd need to use to do so, so he made his journal appear, and flicked through to the page where he'd sketched the sigils he'd seen down under the museum. They had originally been to ward off all magical creatures. But Dipper was sure he'd managed to tweek them enough so it only effect demons. And that meant Bill, and sadly, him as well.

Dipper was floating outside the shack, trying to figure out how to do this. For all he knew, they didn't have much time before Bill found a way to get a hold of the interdimensional rift, so there wasn't time to explain any of this to Soos, or Stan, and definitely not Ford. And since Mabel was nowhere to be found, the only option he had was to turn physical and do it himself.

The problem with that was that he'd never actually been able to do it on purpose before. Not without turning to his more demonic form, which he wasn't anywhere close to resorting to. All he could think to do was focus on becoming physical and trying. So that's what he did.

But it didn't seem to be working. After all his efforts... nothing. _Come on! Work for once! Please, I barely even need a minute! Who knows what Bill's doing now!_ Dipper growled in frustration as he tried again. _Come on, come on!_

He needed to focus. All these worries about what Mabel was doing, about what Bill was doing, they weren't helping him at all. _I have to clear my mind. Only focus on what I'm doing now._ Dipper tried to let it all go. All of his worries and frustrations. He let his power flow through him, his eyes closing for a second as he took a long breath.

Then he felt it, that click inside of himself as physical form become reality. Dipper snapped his eyes open, and he quickly used his powers to set the ground alight all around the shack. He had to do it quickly. Being in this form was really taking it's toll, he probably wouldn't even last a minute, so he had to work fast.

He used the flames to permanently burn the sigils of protection around the shack, before quickly letting the flames burn away, along with his physicality. It left him feeling exhausted, most of his power drained. _There... Bill can't get in the shack. But... it won't let me in either. I guess, that's the price to pay, after all._ His thoughts went back to Bill suddenly. _Bill said he might watch a meteor shower. What did he mean by that? He couldn't literally mean that he was going to watch a meteor shower... Wait. A meteor shower is full of shooting stars._ _Bill... calls... Mabel..._ It struck him like a knife.

 _Bill's going to see Mabel._

That's when Dipper felt the energy of another demon entering the mindscape. It was coming from somewhere in the forest. "No... Mabel!" Dipper didn't waste time. He floated as fast as he could in that direction, not caring how weak he was right now. He had to get to her in time. There was no telling what Bill would do.

* * *

 _ **Deep in the forest**_

* * *

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were?" Mabel sobbed as she closed her eyes and pulled her sweater as far over her head as she could.

"Well, that might actually be possible!" Said a voice that sounded familiar to her, even with her ears muffled slightly by her sweater. So she pulled it back from her face, just in time to see Bill. Mabel's eyes went wide instantly and she got up.

"B-ill! What are-" She said, her voice sore from crying.

The triangle chuckled. "I'm here to tell you something, Shooting Star! Something that you'll like very much." His eye drifted towards the rift that was sticking out of her sweater pocket slightly, "You see that thing in your pocket? I know what it does."

Mabel didn't know what to think of Bill, but she took out of the rift in her pocket, looking at it for a second. "You... do?"

"Of course! I'm sure you want to know what it does, right?"

"What's... the price? You want to make a deal, so what do you... want in return?" She sniffled slightly as she spoke.

Bill laughed. "No price! This ones on me, honest! I'll give you the information, and you don't need to give me anything in return."

Mabel looked at him, biting her lip for a second before nodding. "Okay, I guess. What does... this thing do then?"

"See that black stuff inside? That's what's keeping your brother like the way he is. Like a demon."

She didn't know what to think. "Really? I... I don't know. Why should I... trust that what your saying is true?"

"What other choice do you have? Are you going to go ask your great uncle for answers? I'm sure he'll be more than happy to answer your questions after you stole from him!" Bill was glad that his sarcasm wasn't lost on the girl.

Mabel looked at him for a second. He was right. What other option did she have?

Bill knew she wasn't going to answer, so he continued. "Do you know what's great about that globe? If you smash it, the contents will just disappear. And Pine Tree will be back being your normal, human brother. Simple as that! No more worries about immortality, deals, powers, me... You two can go back to having normal, happy lives. How great does that sound?"

Looking at the rift in her arms, she considered it for a second, before pausing. "Why... are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm sick of Pine Tree! Do you know how annoying it is to have to cope with him for half a day, everyday? Well, of course you do, but you handle it a lot better. Since, you know, you two are twins! You automatically get along together so it's great! I get my alone time, and you get your brother back. Completely, without any catches. And all you have to do, is simply smash that globe."

Mabel looked down at the globe in her hands, seeing her reflection in the glass. She didn't look like her normal self, she looked like a girl who had just been through the worst of the worst. And, she had. Dipper had left her, and she didn't know if he was ever going to come back. She'd stole from her great uncle, and going back into the shack was going to be a nightmare. But if she dropped his thing, she wouldn't have to worry about it. Dipper would be happy again, so he'd naturally come back to her, and after she told Stan about globe, they'd be able to get Ford to leave.

"Just let go, Shooting Star. Then everything can go back to normal. Then Pine Tree can be human again."

 _Everything could go back to being perfect, if I just let go._

Her fingers itched as she woke up, noticing that she was sitting on the floor again, and Bill was gone. It was all up to her now.

 _I just need to let go._ Mabel stood up, looking into the black abyss inside the globe. A single tear dripped from her face.

"MABEL!"

She heard her brother scream from some distance away, just as her fingers let go of the rift, and it hit the floor, shattering.

* * *

I... honestly haven't anything to say here. At all. All I can say, is because I got this one out because Christmas, I'll have something special for you on Thursday. Just to hold you over till 2nd January, which will be the next update.

Let's just say, it's going to be something you might want, or not want. It's going to be a completely encoded update, so it won't be very long. It'll show you what to look forward to in the next arc, which starts with the next chapter. What arc you say? Why, the Weirdmageddon arc, of course! Well, the decoded information itself won't be very spoilerish, but it will give you ideas about what's to come.

Also, can't forget my super mega awesome code:

 **4-16-19 17-15-6-12 1-16-9 12-9-10-17-19-20 18-9-6 4-16-19 6-19-5-19-4**

 **4-16-19 22-9-25 1-16-9 1-23-10-4-19-20 5-9 22-23-20-12-25 4-9 18-9-6-17-19-4**

 **4-16-19 20-19-11-9-10 1-16-9 1-23-5 10-9-4-16-15-10-17 22-3-4 23 5-15-12-16-9-3-19-4-4-19**

 **15-4'5 4-15-11-19 18-9-6 4-16-19-11 4-9 5-19-19 4-16-19 1-9-6-12-20'5 3-8-5-19-4**


	43. Weirdmageddon Arc: Coded Preview

Hello again my loyal readers, and might I say, Merry Christmas! It's less than a day before I wake up to open some more presents, after I just got over the awesome ones I got for my birthday. The one thing I really hope I'll be getting is the Gravity Falls 3DS game. I've heard the dialogue in it is incredibly on point with the characters, thanks to Alex being a part of it's creation. It'll be great fun! Fingers crossed that I'll get it, and I hope you all get what your hoping for too ;)

Anyway, this won't be a chapter, since I need a bit of a week to send with my family, so sadly no update this Saturday, but I hope the few you got this week will make up for it.

Instead of a chapter, you could call this a bit of a sneak peek or preview for what's to come. If you want to keep reading the story without having any clues or hints to what's going to happen, then it'd be best for you to skip this and wait for the next update. But if you'd like a bit of a hint to get you excited for the next arc, then keep reading!

Oh, but I'm not going to give up the hints lightly, as all off the information after this paragraph will be Caesar code. You'll need to decode it all to get the preview. Also, all that I'll give you is some lines that characters will say in the next arc. It won't say who is saying the line, so you'll have to try and figure it out, but the lines will be in chronological order, so I guess theres that. Good luck!

* * *

 _"Jhw dzdb iurp khu, Eloo!"_

 _"L'p jrlqj wr judqw khu zlvk."_

 _"Nlg, duh brx douljkw?"_

 _"L zduqhg brx qrw wr wdnh wkh uliw, dqg orrn zkdw kdsshqhg!"_

 _"Zhqgb! Brx grq'w nqrz krz jodg L dp wkdw zh'yh irxqg brx. L zdv zruulhg brx'g ehhq fdswxuhg."_

 _"Zloo brx... Zloo brx uhphpehu zkdw L glg?"_

 _"Zh qhhg wr eh uhdgb iru zkdw zh ilqg lq wkhuh."_

 _"Krz gr brx hashfw ph wr ohdyh wklv sodfh?"_

 _"Sohdvh, vwdb khuh zlwk ph dqg zh grq'w qhhg wr zruub derxw dqbwklqj hovh. Zh fdq eh kdssb khuh."_

 _"Zkdw gr brx zdqw iurp ph, Pdeho!"_

 _"Lv wkdw krz lw'v jrlqj wr eh, kxk?"_

 _"Vrphwlphv... Vrphwlphv zkdw zh zdqw lvq'w zkdw zh qhhg. Dqg zh qhhg wr vdyh Judylwb Idoov, dqg suredeob wkh zruog dv zhoo. Zkdw gr brx vdb?"_

 _"_ _Sohdvh... Li brx'uh qrw jrlqj wr vwdb, wkhq jr. L'p vruub, exw L'p qrw jrlqj edfn wr uhdolwb. Qrw wkh uhdolwb L kdyh wr olyh zlwk."_

* * *

And what the heck, I'll through in a little rhyme for you too! To do this, just use the combined cipher of A1Z26, Atbash then Caesar to figure it out.

 **4-16-19 12-15-4-4-12-19 8-15-10-19 4-6-19-19 15-5 17-6-9-1-15-10-17 3-8**

 **16-19'5 10-9-1 5-12-19-19-8-15-10-17, 4-16-23-10-13-5 4-9 23 16-15-21-21-3-8**

 **16-15-5 20-6-19-23-11 15-5 6-19-23-12-15-4-25, 15-4'5 4-15-11-19 4-9 8-12-23-25**

 **16-19 13-10-9-1-5 15-4'5 18-23-13-19, 25-19-4 16-19 20-19-21-15-20-19-5 4-9 5-4-23-25**

 **4-16-9-5-19 21-12-9-5-19 1-15-12-12 4-6-25 4-9 20-19-18-25 16-15-5 17-23-11-19-5**

 **22-3-4 1-19'12-12 5-19-19 15-18 4-16-19-25 21-23-10 8-6-19-2-19-10-4 16-15-5 18-12-23-11-19-5**

* * *

So that's all I'll give you. ;) Try and have a guess at what you think will happen from these clues. (though that last one is probably a little bit more than a clue...) I'll see you in the new year, so have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :D


	44. Chapter 40 A Wish Granted

**Chapter 40**

 _A Wish Granted_

* * *

She'd done it. Mabel had smashed the rift. She should have felt happy, and yet... _Something's not right._ She could practically feel the energy bursting around her, so she backed away from the rift quickly, her face paling as a jet of pure energy erupted from the ground, shooting straight into the sky. This wasn't right. This wasn't...

There was insane laughter coming from behind her, so she turned. Though she could already tell who it was. Bill. But what she noticed was that she was dreaming. This was completely in the real world. Which meant. _Oh god... I gave Bill physical form, didn't I? He... He tricked me..._ She backed away from him, trying to get some distance. "No no no no, wait!"

Though she didn't get much time to stop any of this, because all Bill did was click his fingers and her world spun. She felt her energy sap, and fatigue setting in. _No no no, what did I do?_ She tried desperately to try and keep herself awake, but she was already dropping. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her body slumped to the floor, the darkness following soon after.

* * *

Dipper could feel it, the almost impossible surge of power in the distance. "No..." He breath. "No!" Mabel had to have done it, it was the only explanation. The rift had been missing from the basement because Mabel had taken it, and he guessed that Ford had been yelling because of that. But none of that mattered. Right now he had to get to Mabel, and save her from the monster he had once called a teacher.

He was still weak from turning physical, his power drained. But Dipper didn't care, he just kept on his course towards where he could feel the surge. But then a jet of energy exploded upwards, signaling the exact location. His fear spiked inside of him. _Please Mabel, you have to be okay._

Dipper could feel his body changing, like it did when he became physical, however it felt forced and rushed. It took his breath away, disorienting him. However nothing could distract him from what he was doing.

He was soaring faster, nearly reaching his target. Even from this distance, he could here Bill laughing. It made Dipper's anger flare violently. _That double-crossing triangle... I'll grind him into powder!_ _I'LL KILL HIM!_ He tried to calm himself, he had to focus, couldn't distract himself. He needed to find Mabel right now, he could deal with Bill later.

Dipper landed on the ground roughly, his body slamming against a tree, knocking his senses for a second. _Great, I'm physical. Not that I'm complaining, but I would have liked a bit of a warning._ He gritted his teeth through slightly pain as he got himself back into working order. Bill was just up ahead, laughing like and idiot as he reveled in his new found power. He hadn't even heard Dipper's collision. Mabel on the other hand, was lying unconscious on the floor.

Dipper was terrified at first, but when he saw her chest rising up and down, he relaxed, at least she wasn't dead. He clenched his fists slightly, Bill was right next to her, so if he made a move, he could bet that the triangle could make his own first. He'd had to confront Cipher first then.

"Get away from her, Bill!" The boy yelled at the triangle, his stance showing he was ready for a fight. His hands clenched, glowing with a blue flame, his eyes narrowed and glowing brightly.

The triangle stopped laughing for a second, before putting on a small chuckle. He turned round to Dipper. "Well well well, isn't this interesting? My good friend Alcor's come to enjoy this moment with me!"

"Don't ignore me. Get away from her right now!" Dipper gritted his teeth, anger blazing. He wasn't going to play games.

However, Bill continued his little 'game'. "Isn't it amazing? After trillions of years, the demons of the Nightmare Realm can finally come to this realm. We can finally take our madness all over the world. This parties going to be a real hoot! Want to join in? I still consider you one of us, so you get free entry!"

Dipper didn't say anything, he just ran at him. He was moving fast, faster than usual despite being weakened. He just hoped he could hit Bill before he could react. Dipper jumped, his blazing hand going in for a punch to the eye. But inches away from it, a blast of energy threw him back, smack into a tree, and it was a solid one too. The breath was knocked out of him as he stumbled, his head spinning and sight disoriented.

Bill was red and furious, burning flames of his own in his hands. "Do you seriously think you can hurt me? I'm the one who gets the power, not you! I hoped it could be different, but I guess this means I have to be nice!" The red faded from his features as they returned to yellow, the anger settling.

The boy frowned in confusion. _What does he mean, 'be nice'?_ But before he could have a guess at what that meant, Dipper felt himself rise of the floor. His muscles felt static and hard to move. _What's he doing!?_ Bill had a sort of look on his face that made Dipper think this was only going to 'be nice' for him, and not for Dipper.

"You know how I got Shooting Star to smash that rift? I told her that if she did, you'd be human again, simple as that! She really is quite easy to manipulate, isn't she? But as a thanks, I'm going to grant her wish."

Dipper could feel his energy being sapped, spiraling around him. He could practically see what the energy was doing. It was forming a sort of sphere around him, and he couldn't find the strength to do anything about it. "What... so you mean?" He said through gritted teeth.

Bill simply laughed. "You know what's annoying, Alcor? I can't get rid of you! If you were human, I could easily just turn you into a paperweight, or just kill you! But now? Even with all my power, I can never truly get rid of you. However, I don't want someone like you as a threat to my whole plan, so I can remove you as a problem!"

Struggling to do even the slightest movement now, Dipper was trying to stop whatever the triangle was doing. _No no! I can't let him win, I have to get Mabel out of here, I can't let her get hurt because of this, because of me!_ But it was no use, nothing he tried could save him from whatever fate was destined for him.

As a last resort, Dipper tried to go into his more demonic form, the one he hated more than anything. He tried to get himself angry enough to activate it, which really wasn't that hard. But to his despair, not even that worked. He could feel the anger inside himself boiling, but he couldn't even make the tips of his fingers go to that form. Whatever Bill was doing, it was sapping whatever energy he had, using it to reinforce the sphere of energy that was surrounding him.

Dipper's vision was faded, which was strange. Was he going unconscious? He couldn't, not as a demon, right? He'd dropped into a state he guessed he could call unconsciousness once before, so maybe it was going to be like that again? He had nothing else to do, but wonder what was happening to him. _Bill said he was going grant Mabel her wish, but what does that even mean? If her wish is for me to be human again, that's impossible. Bill can't turn me back, no matter how powerful he is. His energy is forever rooted inside me, with no way to remove it. So what else could he do to me?_

The sphere was solidifying, blocking out the light from the outside world, and all Dipper could hear was the beating of his own heart, he couldn't even here Bill's laughing anymore. His eyes were closing, him finding no energy to keep them open. He felt the fatigue setting into him, and he found no reason to fight against it. His consciousness was swimming, though it never disappeared. He still had his mind active, as sleep was something he could achieve any more.

All he could do was wait for whatever fate he'd wake to. _I just hope that Mabel will be safe. That's all I want._

* * *

Mabel awoke to someone shaking her pretty harshly. Her eyes had snapped open, expecting to see Dipper, but what she got was Ford instead. He looked angry, but she could also see concern in his eyes. At least that was something. "Grunkle... Ford?"

"Kid, are you alright?" The man spoke quickly, and he kept looking around all the time, like he was making sure nobody was going to come out of nowhere and attack him. He helped her to get onto her feet when she nodded as an answer, and she looked around.

She was still in the forest, but looking around confirmed the worst. Bill had all but taken over the town. It looked like hell, and she was sure she'd spotted a giant flying eyeball in the sky a way away from them. _Ths is all my fault. If I hadn't smashed it, then Bill wouldn't have done all this. But then... where's Dipper? Wouldn't he... have found me first? Didn't he care about me?_ She was sure she'd heard him yell for her when she'd smashed the rift, so he had to be around here. _Was he fighting Bill? He had to be, surely. Right?_

Ford was looking at her, but his anger seemed to override the worry he was feeling. "I warned you not to take the rift, and look what happened!"

It made her flinch slightly, he sounded really mad. But she didn't care, because it was his fault as well, no matter how much he said otherwise. She gave him a glare. "No, YOU look what happened! I don't know what that thing really was... but if I could trust you, maybe I wouldn't have been so quick to smash it... Maybe if you treated me and Dipper right, then I would have left that rift where it was. And we wouldn't be in this mess!"

The man looked at her, yelling, "Are you still following that lie, after whats happening now? Where's your _brother_ now, then? I bet it's out there right now, causing havoc and chaos with the rest of those monsters. I bet it's friends with Bill, and I bet it told you to smash it, didn't it? Just think, if it actually cared for you, don't you think it would be here right now, protecting you from those eyeball bats."

"Just shut up..." Mabel said, trying to stop herself from crying, before she thought of something. "Eyeball bats?"

Ford sighed, looking away from her again. "Yes. They're Bill's minions. They've been going around, turning people into stone and then taking them off to that giant pyramid." As he said so, he pointed towards the sky, where a large floating pyramid was, a few miles off. "So it's best we avoid them." He suddenly looked tired, the anger vanishing from his features. "You need to stick with me. I don't know where Stanley's got too, so I can't drop you off with him and hope he can look after you. For all I know he's been taken by the eyeball bats."

Mabel looked at it all, should she stay with Ford? _He hates Dipper, but he knows more about them than anyone else, and I doubt I can survive this on my own. At least I'll have time to try and make him understand Dipper. I'll have a better chance here than I did before what happened. But just where is Dipper, and why isn't he here right now?_


	45. Chapter 41 I've Gotten What I Wanted

**Chapter 41**

 _I've Gotten What I Wanted_

* * *

It had all gone completely according to plan. Sure, there had been a few bumps in the road, but Bill had easily ironed them out. Everything was in place and his plan had worked. He had to admit he was pretty proud of himself.

Bill looked out at the nightmare he had created in this world, in what had once been Gravity Falls. It was marvelous, and it was his. _After so many years... I'm finally free of that wretched place._ He had been plotting a plan to escape from the Nightmare Realm for more years than he could remember, and it had finally proven worth it.

He found himself laughing about the whole thing as he relaxed inside the Fearamid, watched his friends party around him. There were those who weren't able to attend such a brilliant celebration. Well, they probably were able, but it was just that Bill wouldn't _let_ them attend. Of course all of the demons had the ability to come to this realm now, so that meant his friends, and the ones that had deserted him.

And they'd done exactly what he'd expected off them, they came crawling back to him. Saying they were sorry or that they'd made a mistake. But really, how dumb did they think he was? Did they honestly believe he would let them benefit from this? No. So he'd cast them out, told them to try and have fun without him, without the power he'd acquired. They were probably roaming around the town somewhere, but Bill didn't care what they did, as long as it didn't involve him in any way. Demons that he hadn't bothered to try and get to know came to him, some that he hadn't even seen before. He had nothing against them, so he allowed them to join in the party with his loyal friends. As long, of course, as they didn't try to do anything to bring Bill down from his throne.

Though there was one who Bill hadn't had the pleasure to see again. Astaroth. The one demon who had been the biggest annoyance to him in his plan, as at some point along the way the guy had found out about Bill's plan, and had intended on doing it before him. But what a clueless one he was. Bill was the smarter of the two, he doubted Astaroth could even count to a hundred. He was all brute strength and no brain. Where as Bill was all brain, and now all brawn. There was almost nothing he couldn't do. Maybe he had realised that for once, maybe that was the reason Bill hadn't seen him. He had no doubt that Astaroth was in the town somewhere, but if he was smart he'd stay away from Bill as much as he could. Because Bill was sure he'd be the only one to enjoy the meeting.

It had been three days now since Weirdmageddon, as he called it, started. What residence of the town that still remained were in hiding, the ones that Bill had found had been frozen to stone by the large eye-bats that had come from the Nightmare Realm with him and the others. And they were now working for Bill, collecting all the humans they could find and stacking them into a throne for Bill. Maybe to someone else it would be disturbing, but for Bill it was hilarious.

Bill thought as he sat on his throne, working his way through the a list of potential threats to his plan. So first was his little Pine Tree or Alcor, as he guessed he could keep calling him. _He's completely out of the picture, there's nothing to worry about it._ The kid was the biggest, if not the only threat to Bill's plans. He was an element that Bill couldn't predict, even with all the time he had spent monitoring him. It was almost a pity that he couldn't convince him to join Bill, he would have been an interesting friend. But he was too blinded by his humanity. Too blinded by the love for his family, and most of all his sister. Was Alcor that naive that he thought he could keep going on like that? Like when he was human? And if the kid actually thought their might be a way to reverse the effects of their broken deal, then he was even more naive than Bill thought.

But now he didn't need to worry about any of that, as he didn't have a possibility of ruin anything for Bill after what he'd done. He was quite proud of himself for what he'd been able to do, for what he'd been able to do to the boy. Bill looked to the side for a second, another laugh forming. _Little Pine Tree can't escape from where I have him. Because who can escape from somewhere they don't want to escape from?_

Apart from him, there was of course Shooting Star, but Bill didn't need to worry. Without her brother, she was useless. There wasn't a thing she could do without him. When he had been done with Pine Tree, he had left her to start things up with the whole oddpocalypse, so he wasn't sure where she was now. None of the eye-bats had turned up with a statue shaped like her, so she was still out there someone. But Bill didn't have a care for her, what harm could she possibly do?

And then there was Stanford Filbrick Pines. Bill was almost sad that he hadn't had a chance to have a proper reunion before the end of the world, he would have liked to have a chat, or see what he'd been up to in the last thirty years. _But sadly you can't always have what you want._ The man was someone that Bill had known well, but not much after he'd betrayed him. But from what Pine Tree had said, the man wasn't the most friendly person out there, those years had changed him quite a bit.

Bill had actually found the man on the first day of Weirdmageddon, or maybe he'd found Bill. It was kind of complicated. He'd been talking to his loyal friends at the time, when a shot of pure energy hit his hat, burning a hole right through. It had caught him of guard, so before he'd turned around who ever had fired had gone. Not that he needed to see their face to know who had tried the attack. The only person with the ability to make something powerful enough to harm Bill was Sixer, after all, he'd used something just like it to harm Alcor a bit back, with the same effects.

But with a device of that power, Bill doubted it would be operational again for a while, so Bill was sure he didn't need to worry about the old man. All he had was his hate, and nothing else. He was almost as useless as Shooting Star and this point. But, for the use he had been in all this, if Bill ever found him again, he was sure to turn him into a nice gold back scratcher as a reward.

Things wouldn't get much better for Bill, all he needed now was to take all of this worldwide, which would all come in due time once they were ready.

* * *

Dipper was swimming in darkness, though his consciousness was still intact. That was what was scary about this whole thing. it was times like this that he wished that he could drift away into the unconsciousness that he had once had. He wished he didn't have to cope through all this, wishing that he didn't have to think about all this, and instead have sweet, sweet dreams. But then, he was almost certain he'd have nightmares instead. Maybe that was the only upside to all this.

 _I wish... things could go right for me for once. I wish I could forget this living nightmare never happened. I wish that I could just be human again._

* * *

Dipper was woken up by the sound of birds chirping, that sweet sound of them singing their song. His eyes were heavy, but in the best way. The way that showed you had a great nights sleep. His eyes were slightly blurry as he stretched, trying to wake himself up. He looked to the side, noticing that Mabel wasn't in bed, but it looked a lot like Mabel had been there recently, as the sheets were almost the whole way off the bed. He couldn't help smiling at that.

He got out of bed and got dressed, slipping on his vest over his shirt. To top it off once his shorts and shoes were on, he put on his signature hat. He didn't know quite way, but he just felt so happy. Maybe he'd just had a nice dream? He jogged out of the room to the bathroom, the smile large and evident on his face. He looked in the mirror, as he brushed his teeth, seeing as his chestnut eyes sparkled slightly as the light reflected off them.

When he was done freshening up, he walked down the stairs, not even noticing himself humming Disco Girl. He found Mabel eating breakfast, but she had notice him first. "Dipper, you're up!" She had a smile on her face just like him. "You slept sooo deeply today, I was considering jumping on you, but you must have needed your sleep."

Dipper found himself laughing as he got himself a bowl, putting some cereal and milk in it. "I guess I did, I feel a lot more awake than usual. I guess I didn't have anything to worry about to keep me up."

"I hope you had some good dreams, you never seem to have any these days." Mabel giggled, slurping up the remainder of her milk and cereal, just as Waddles climbed onto the space next to her and she hugged him, lifting him up for Dipper to see. "And see? Waddles is happy too!"

He laughed slightly as he stated to eat his lunch, wondering what the day had for him. Maybe discover something new about the journal? Or just have a day of fun? There was just so much create stuff that he and Mabel could do today. He felt so free, like he had nothing more to worry about. Nothing that he had that could bring him down.

"Mabel, were you planning on doing anything today?"

She thought for a second as she hugged her pig. "Not really, did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, there's still so much in the journal we haven't found yet." He quickly finished his breakfast, before getting out the journal. "Here, you see if there's anything you'd like to see." He pushed it over to her, and she started to flick through. "Hmm... Ohh! How about the fairies? We only got to see one before Soos... Well... splatted it. I bet theres a whole town of fairies in the woods or something! Can we do that? Pleaseeeee?"

Another day, Dipper might have turned her down for it being too girly, but he just felt too happy to care about doing anything else. He just wanted to spend some time with her, and just be himself. So they could just be who they were.

"Fine, I guess we could... If you can catch me!" Dipper then snatched the book back off of her, and bolted out the kitchen, laughing happy as he heard her giggling as she ran after him. He had a feeling that today was going to be a great day.

* * *

So, it must seem weird hearing from me after a weak of silence, huh? Well, be lucky I got a chapter out! Ha ha, I was so wrapped up in all the awesome presents I got for Christmas. Well... Mostly just one, a gaming laptop I technically payed for myself. ;) I could finally play Skyrim and Minecraft, after a looooong time. But of course I also got the Gravity Falls game, which was amazing! The dialogue was on par with the show, making me laugh with every joke and reference to the show.

Well, of course I also got a drawing tablet, so I can finally get the most out of my devaintart, so expect some fanart there for this story, and the actual show. As well as some work I'm doing for someone else as well (which I must say is coming along great if I do say so myself... I think I've done the line art for it, so if you want to have a look at it, give me a yell, you know who you are.)

Oh, and before I forget, the story hit 50,000 views this week! I can't believe it's actually got this large a story, after all the work I put in. I really want to make a sort of tribute video once this is all over, but I'm not too sure what it would be yet...

So this all you'll get from me this week, haha ;) I hope you liked the chapter, and are excited for more next week!


	46. Chapter 42 We're Not Alone

**Chapter 42**

 _We're Not Alone_

* * *

Mabel felt the days go by quickly, at least when she looked on them from the third day. When she had decided to the stick with Ford, they'd gone back to the Mystery Shack to gather supplies, collecting any food they could, but even in such a sort time since the start of the apocalypse, much of the food had been raided by creatures from the woods, leaving them with only a few days worth of rations, which included some cans of meat and four bottles of water.

After collecting all the food they could, Mabel and Stanford had went down to the basement, where he'd taken up his gun, probably to defend against anything they encountered, though the journals where no where to be seen, and he didn't answer her when she asked about them, making her think something must have happened to them.

In the next few days, they'd done all they could to survive, despite the large amount of demons creating chaos throughout the town, and the eye-bats that wanted nothing more than to turn them to stone and take them to Bill. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.

Mabel had found it hard to say the least, as they still hadn't found Stan, so her best bet was to stay with the person she hated more than anything. At times, they probably could have spoken to each other and tried to work out their relationship, but Mabel was too preoccupied to realise there was the opportunity. All she could think about was Dipper.

There had been no sign of him in the last three days, so Mabel was starting to wonder if she had really heard him call her on that day, or if it had just been Bill pulling a trick on her. It just didn't make sense. _Wouldn't Dipper of found me by now if he was here? Am I right about him being here, or is he still in the Nightmare Realm, trying staying away from me?_ The thought almost made her cry. _No... I just want him back... Dipper, you promised me you'd stay with me if we could work it out... It's not the end of the summer yet... Please Dip... How am I supposed to cope without you? I'm... nothing without you._

They'd been scouting remains of the town for whatever survivors they could find, so far, none. It made Mabel worry that they'd all be caught. Was that true? Had Bill already won? No, she couldn't give up yet. Mabel looked down at the watch she'd picked up the day before, no change. It made her wonder if time had really stopped, or if the watch was just broken. The sky above didn't change in colour, so she couldn't be sure what time it was suppose to be anyway.

She and Ford were hiding from the eye-bats now, and once they saw it fly off, they came out. The man she travelled with looked stressed, but then again, when didn't he? He sighed, leaning against the wall. "It... looks like we're the only ones left. Nobody's left."

Mabel barely had the strength to deny him, but she tried. "We haven't checked everywhere yet... Maybe they're out in the woods somewhere? We can't be the only ones out here..."

He crouched down to her, putting a hand on her shoulder as a slight sign of comfort. "Look at this place, it's a nightmare. Even if there are people out there, they're probably so well hidden that we'll never find them. We'd be better off trying to prolong our survival, while trying to find a way to stop this from getting worse."

Mabel sighed, knowing he was right. "I guess..." But then she heard a screeching from above as the pterodactyl she and Dipper had found once swooped down in the direction of the Gravity Falls Mall. It took one of the letters from the sign, before swooping off. Her eyes turned to the mall, her spirits lifting slightly. "The mall... We haven't checked there yet! Come on Ford, if there's people left, they'd be in there!"

Ford thought for a second, as it was true they haven't searched in there. Though he doubted they'd find any survivors in there, there would hopefully be some food in there that they could take, as their rations were starting to run low. "I guess we could try..." He stood to his full height, looking round to make sure nothing would see them if they sprinted, before nodded. "Right, okay, we can go."

When they reached the mall, Mabel attempted to walk through the door, though the automatic part of it wasn't working, making it impossible to open. She slammed her fist against it in frustration, before Ford cleared his thought. "Maybe, you should let me handle this. Stand back."

For once, Mabel did as he said, watching as he used the butt of his gun to smash through the glass, kicking through the opening to make it big enough for him and Mabel to get through.

Once they were inside, Mabel looked around to the extend of the mall, seeing how eerie the place really looked due to the apocalypse. It was strange, the last time she'd came here it had been full of people shopping and having fun, but now it looked abandoned.

"Stan!" Mabel called through, hoping for a response, before adding, "Dipper! Are you here?" No response, just an echoing of her own voice. _So neither of them are here..._ She felt the presence of Ford behind her, trying to stop herself from tensing slightly. You'd think she'd be use to him being close to her after a few days of surviving together. "I... don't think anyone's here."

"It was worth a shot, but at least we might find some food here." Ford looked around, before nodding. "You look around the court, I'll see if there is anything we can use in the other shops." He began to walk in the opposite direction before pausing for a second. "If anything happens, shout. I'll be back as quick as I can."

Mabel bit her lip as she watched him go, before sighing and walking to the food court. "Why couldn't someone be here, anyone really." She murmured to herself, but soon she spotted something lying on one of the tables, a fresh box of nachos with cheese. Her eyes went wide when she saw them. She really needed some good food right now, and here it was, ripe for the taking!

She ran up to it, a smile spreading across her face. "The last nachos on Earth..." Mabel then attempted to pick them up, but to her alarm, she got trapped in a net as soon as they left the table. "HELP! The cheesiness was a trick!"

But then, she heard rustling coming from one of the plants, and soon Wendy popped her head up from it. "Mabel?"

Mabel didn't really know how to react... Either with alarm, or just pure joy that she'd found someone she knew. "Wendy!? I... I can't believe it..."

Wendy was smiling, seemingly relieved to have found her too. "Here, let me get that for ya." Then she threw an axe at the net, cutting her down. But just as she did so, Mabel collided with her, hugging her tightly.

"Wendy... I'm so glad to find you! I thought everyone else was gone..." Mabel was trying to stop herself from crying from joy.

The teenager was laughing slightly, hugging her back. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We have each other now."

And then, almost like he was trying to ruin the moment, Ford sprang into few, his gun pointed at Wendy, who almost immediately pointed her crossbow at him in return.

"Mabel, I heard you yell, are you alright?" Ford asked her, without taking his eyes off Wendy.

The pre-teen quickly broke from her friend, slightly panicked. "Ford! It's okay, you can put the gun away! I was just a little startled! It's just Wendy!"

Ford relaxed slightly, before lowering his gun. "Right. So she's your friend."

Mabel nodded, watching as Wendy lowered her crossbow, looking at Ford with slight confusion. "Mabel, who's this?"

Mabel thought for a second, before realising that Wendy and Ford hadn't actually met before. "This is Stanford, you know, Stan's twin brother? I thought Soos told you about him..."

Wendy looked at Ford, noticing how alike he looked to Stan. "Oh right, well, I honestly thought he was joking. But I guess he wasn't."

There was an awkward silence, before Wendy spoke up again. "We shouldn't stay in the open for too long. Let me show you my hideout." She started walking to the store 'Edgy on Purpose', showing the two of them in, even though the air was still tense with Ford there.

They were all soon sitting by a fire in the shop, as Wendy told her story of the apocolypse. "We were playing Truth or Dare in the cemetary when it happened. The eyeballs froze Nate, Lee, Tambry and Thompson." She sighed. "Robbie almost got away but had to pause to take a selfie. I was the only one lucky enough to get away, and I've only been able to survive so far thanks to the apocalypse training my dad makes me and my brothers do every year." She looked across to Mabel and Ford. "So, what about you two?"

Mabel looked down for a second. "I... I was the cause of all this. I had this, globe thing and Bill... the one behind all this... he tricked me. Said if I broke it Dipper would turn back to normal. But instead, this happened. I... I can't even find Dipper, after all, he has to be around here somewhere. Great Uncle found me and we've been together ever since, trying to find any other survivors... You haven't seen Dipper have you? Or Stan? Or anyone?"

Wendy looked at her for a second. Even though she had Dipper weren't as close anymore, for obvious reasons, she still worried for him, so she could see what Mabel must be going through. She shook her head. "No, sorry. As soon as I was able I came here, haven't seen anyone else. Well, anyone I did see was taken by the rats, at it wasn't anyone either of us knew personally."

The girl looked down sadly, before Wendy continued to speak. "But we're here together right? They've got to be out there somewhere. And if they're anything like us, they're looking for us."

Mabel looked up, smiling slightly. "Thanks Wendy."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Mabel and Wendy were sitting on the roof of the Mall, watching as armageddon raged on around them. "The end of the world. Man, those death metal album covers got it shockingly right."

Mabel looked across the wasteland, sighing. "You know, at first I thought I'd be able to get through this. But I can't find Stan, or Dipper anywhere. I can't do anything without my family. And there's nothing we can do to change this nightmare, we've lost."

The teen put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, dude, it's not over yet. You've beaten Bill once before, so why is this time any different?"

"I had Dipper then."

"Then you need to get him back. Look, this summer, I've seen some amazing things, but nothing as amazing as you and your brother. I don't know it it's dumb luck or yin and yang, or whatever, but when you two work together, thee's like nothing you two can't accomplish. You just need to find each other, and team up, and save the universe."

"But I don't even know where to look for him. I don't even know if he's even in the town."

And right on cue, Ford came out from around the corner, after checking out the rest of the area. "You two, look over there." He pointed in one direction, his face tense with slight shock.

Mabel and Wendy looked in the direction he was pointing, and they gasped slightly. In the distance, at the edge of town on the cliffs, was a large yellow bubble, with Dipper's pine tree on it.

"It's... It's the pine tree from Dipper's hat! He has to be in there. I just know it!" Mabel felt happy, excited even, she finally had a shot at finding Dipper. But it was more of a certain. because she just knew that he was in that bubble, there was no doubt about it.

* * *

Not much to say this chapter, just that I might have some art for it on my devaint art in the coming days, so make sure to have a check there to see if I've added anything. ;)


	47. Chapter 43 Speed

**Chapter 43**

 _Speed_

* * *

 _"_ Kid, are you insane?! We are not going in there!" Ford did not like the idea of going to that bubble in the slightest.

Mabel didn't have time to argue with him, but if she didn't get him on the same side as she and Wendy, they wouldn't be able to go, they'd need all the help they could get to get to the bubble, and as much as Mabel hated it, they'd need him. "I don't care what you think, we have to go! Don't you see? If Dipper isn't in there, I don't know where he is. It's the only place he could be, and I need to find him."

The man looked at her with a slight glare, she was going on about this again. "No, don't you see! You can't keep living this dream you have in your head. If we even attempt to go over there, we'll be snatched up by the bats. It's a wide open space, with no cover! Stop worrying about this. Your brother is dead! Don't you get that? That _thing_ isn't him! If it was, wouldn't it be here right now, with you? Whatever that is over there, it's obviously a trap for you."

Mabel could feel it welling up inside of her again, that anger. Why couldn't Ford just get it through his thick head? She just couldn't handle it. "JUST SHUT UP!" She screamed louder than she'd ever screamed before, actually causing him and Wendy to flinch.

"Wow, dude, calm down okay?" Wendy put a hand on Mabel's shoulder to try and calm her down, but she shrugged it off.

"No, we are going to that bubble, and we are going to save Dipper! I don't care what you say, because you're wrong! Dipper does nothing but care for me, and you just don't get that! He isn't here, because he must be trapped in there, it's the only explanation. And I have to save him." Mabel let it all out, feeling the outburst of anger draining with the words.

Ford was looking at her with an expression she couldn't really describe, it didn't look like anger, or frustration, but it didn't look like understanding either. There was a slight edge to his voice, but it was quite soft. "You're a fool, kid. But if you're convinced of this lie, then I doubt I can stop you. So, I might as well try my best to protect you, especially when you fall into this trap." He took his gun out of his holster and looked out onto the horizon. "But as I said, we don't even have a chance of getting there. Look, there's a wide open space between us and that bubble. Do you really expect us to be able to get there without being captured?"

Mabel looked at him, and sighed. He was right in that regard. How could they get across? Mabel was stumped.

"I think I might have an idea." Wendy spoke up. She might not know what was going on between Mabel and Ford, as their relationship was obviously rough, but she did know a way to help. "Just follow me."

They'd stayed hidden all the way as they followed Wendy. Mabel guessed that once you'd been doing it for three days, you were pretty good at it. They ended up at none other than Bud Gleeful's auto-mart, which looked completely run down and abandoned, just like the rest of the town.

Wendy looked over to the place, smiling. "The abandoned auto-mart, free cars right for the hot-wiring. This is our ride to Dipper." She was the first to step into the auto-marts grounds, looking around for the right car.

Mabel started looking for any car that looked in usable condition. "I can't believe this place is just abandoned..." She murmured, looking as Ford followed behind them.

But suddenly car headlights turned on in front of the three, blinding them momentarily, and soon three huge trucks had surrounded them. The place certainly wasn't abandoned, that was for sure.

"Well, well, looks like we got ourselves a pair of ground walkers." Said a voice from one of the trucks.

"Heheh! Ground walkers! Heheh! Ain't got no wheels!" Another voice came, followed by the laughs from all three trucks.

Ford steadied his gun, so he'd be able to use it if it was needed, looking around. He couldn't get a good look at any of the people, so he wouldn't be able to shoot accurately right now.

Mabel felt frozen, who were these people? She didn't recognise any of their voices.

Wendy was the one to speak up. "Listen Discount Auto Warriors!"

Mabel soon followed her, making sure to speak loudly. "We just need to make it to the bubble out east; we have no quarrel with you!"

There came a lower pitched voice from the middle truck right in front of them. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong!" From the shadows, Mabel could make out a large looking man in the car, causing her to gulp.

"Y'all fellers ain't goin' nowhere."

Wendy and Mabel frowned at what the man had just said. "Y'all?" She said

"Fellers?" Mabel looked at the man, suddenly recognising the way he'd talked. "Wait... Gideon!?"

Lights from the cars flickered on, revealing Gideon, who was sitting on the shoulders of a large prisoner called Ghost Eyes. He had been speaking through a megaphone that had lowered his voice. "That's Sheriff Gideon! Under the authority of Bill Cipher, I place you all under arrest!"

Gideon looked at Mabel was a loving look in his eyes. "Well, of course, my lovely little marshmallow doesn't need to be, if you agree to be mine."

Mabel felt some bile in the back of her throat. "I'd rather die than be with a creep like you!"

The boy glared at her. "You love me, you just don't know it yet!" He jumped down from Ghost Eye's shoulders, but stayed in the car. "Well, ma' old pal Bill figured that you might try to rescue Dipper. So he appointed me, master of these wastelands, and keeper of the bubble!" He turned to look at the bubble in the distance, smiling wickedly. "You're nuisance of a brother is trapped inside, so he can't get in the way of our love, and I have the only key!" He showed them a gleaming golden key with a pine tree on it, that hung around his neck.

Mabel glared at him, why couldn't this guy just accept that she wasn't interested? But then a thought came to her head. _Does he know? If Bill told him to make sure we don't get to Dipper, then would he tell Gideon about what happened to Dipper? From the look of things, Gideon doesn't know anything. And since he gave Gideon a key, Bill must have been the one to lock Dipper away._ "Gideon, you have no right to keep him there, you don't know what he's been through!"

The boy only glared at her. "But you don't know what I've been through! Prison was a nightmare, all thanks to you and the rest of your family." Gideon gritted his teeth, as he looked at the three of them, before suddenly frowning.

Originally, he had thought the man was Stan Pines. But when he gave him a second look, he realised it couldn't be. Sure he looked similar, but it definitely wasn't Stan. Then he noticed something strange about him, the man had six fingers on each hand. It was strange, but everything was strange right now, though a thought sprang up at the back of his mind, and he just had to ask. "Are you... the author?"

Ford hadn't really been playing attention to what the boy had said, he'd been busy trying to figure out the best course of action. He didn't know what weapons these people had, so trying to scare them with his gun might be a foolish idea, so he'd been rounding up all the other options he had. But he recognised that attention was being payed to him, and he heard the question.

Frowning, he lowered his gun slightly. as he looked at the kid. "I would consider myself one, yes. I made a few journals of the supernatural a while back. My name's Stanford Pines."

Gideon couldn't help but pale. This man was the author. _The_ author. And what was worse? He'd just said he was part of the Pines family, and Gideon had barely even heard his first name, his mind focusing on the last. _They ruin everything! The Pines family... Even the author is a part of it?! The person who's work could have even me ultimate power... he's a Pines!?_ He could feel his insides raging.

"This is just..." He managed to contain himself, and clicked his fingers. "Ghost Eyes, take our friends to Bill's dungeon!" Besides the annoying fact that the author was part of the family he hated the most, if he put them all in the dungeon, including Mabel, she'd have some time to mull over the fact of whether or not she'd go out with him. Which she would, eventually.

Mabel didn't know what to do, what could they do? Her eyes glanced up to Ford, who seemed to be concentrated on the trucks around him, like he was thinking about something, so he was no help. Ghost Eye's walked up behind them, pushing them forward.

"Duck." Ford said quickly, and Mabel and Wendy did just that, just before he shot his gun in front of him, and the beam of light hit a truck's side, bouncing off of it and it shot back, hitting Ghost Eye in the head, causing him to stumble, and thinking fast, Mabel crouched to the ground, so when he walked forward, the large man fell over her, passing out on the ground.

Gideon's eyes widened. "Ghost Eyes! My hench angel!" But then suddenly, Wendy ran forward and picked him up, and ripped the key from around his neck. The three ran to one of the cars, and when the prisoners attempted to come after them, Wendy held Gideon out to them, shouting, "Get back! Or I will drop kick him, I swear!" Which caused them to pause.

Ford quickly smashed a car window with his elbow and unlocked the car, getting into the drivers seat. Mabel quickly got into the seat next to him, watching for Wendy to join them.

Gideon squirmed in Wendy's grip, screaming at her. "You'll never get away with this, ya hear me?!"

Wendy looked at him, smirking slightly. "Guess what? We already did!" And then she proceeded to kick him into the other prisoners, knocking them all back in confusion, and running to the car, getting in the back seat.

Ford looked around for a second, quickly getting the car to start. "Hang on." He murmured, almost to himself as he started the car in movement, as fast as he could get it to go.

Mabel looked behind them as they started off, paling slightly as she saw the prisoners quickly recovering and coming after them. "They're gaining on us! We need to move fast!"

Wendy looked our the window, taking up her crossbow, and firing it at the ground in front of the trucks, puncturing one of the tires, causing it to screeched and flip over due to the speed it was going at. One down, though four trucks were still following them. And that had been her last arrow.

Ford gritted his teeth, pushing his foot harder on the peddle, speeding the car along a little more.

All three of them were unsure if they would outrun those who were after them, all they could do was hope that luck would shine on them.

* * *

I just notice this chapter got barely anywhere. I was planning on them getting to the bubble at the end of the chapter, but now I guess it would make it too long if I wrote any more. I'm starting to miss writing about Dipper... So I can almost guarentee that there will be some of him in the next chapter. ;)

Also, you know I mentioned doing some fan art for last chapter? I finally got it done. Finally! You can check it out on my devaintart if you want :) It'll probably be up there soon.


	48. Chapter 44 You Can Change

**Chapter 44**

 _You Can Change_

* * *

Ford had his eyes locked in front of him, his foot pressed so hard on the peddle that he was close to breaking it, but this car wasn't built for speed. But they were outrunning Gideon and his crew right now, that was what counted. He looked in the wind mirror, the kid was right behind them.

He looked in front of him, trying to think of a good way out of all this. But then, almost out of nowhere, he saw a large canyon up ahead of them, like the earth had ripped it's self apart, which was entirely possible in this town. Ford tried to think of what to do in this situation, if they turned back, they'd get caught, but if they even kept driving, they were dead. He eased his foot of the peddle slightly, just for Mabel to shout at him.

"You need to keep driving! We can make it!"

The man glanced at her through the mirror, looking at her like she was insane. "There's no way that this wreck will make it off over that gorge, it's impossible. We'll be killed! Do you want that?"

"Are you really using the word impossible? This town is impossible. Come on please, we will make it, I promise!" She looked at him with pleading eyes, her hands together in a way of praying.

That face was enough for Ford to reconsider. _If we turn back, there's no chance that we'll survive. That kid says he only wants to capture us, but I know Bill will only kill us. But if we cross... There's at least a chance._ "I hope you're right about this, kid." He murmured, eyes focusing ahead of him again as he pressed harder on the peddle. "Hang on tight."

The engine revved, the car zooming forward at increased speed, heading right for the canyon, not stopping. Mabel glanced over at Wendy for a moment, both of there faces showing the same fear of them not making it.

Then... They all felt it. As the car left the ground behind, almost seaming to be suspended in the air for a moment, Mabel took a moment to consider if this had been a bad idea, her eyes watching as the car tipped. She felt herself start to scream just from instinct, along with Wendy, and even Ford. For almost a second, it seemed like the car wasn't going to make it, and they were going to plummet to their death. But instead, the two front wheels of the car touched down on the ground, followed by the back.

However, the whole force of the jump sent the car rolling, over onto it's side, a couple of times. At least they were wearing seatbelts.

When the momentum of the car stopped, Mabel was the first to stir, her head feeling like it was spiltting. She moaned slightly, her arms were bruised badly, and there was a small cut on her arm. She must have gotten off slightly, because Wendy and Stan were unconscious. "Guys..." She croaked, her voice slightly saw from the screaming she'd done. "Guys, wake up!"

No response from Ford who was slumped in a position that looked quite painful, but Wendy did. "Err... Mabel... Did we make it?"

"We aren't dead... So I guess we did." Her vision was blurry for a moment, her head still throbbing. "Ford... Ford!" She reached over to him, nudging him with her hand. No response again, causing her to worry slightly, but then a groan come from him, and relief flooded her.

She slowly kicked her door open, grimacing from the slight pain it caused her as she crawled out, before moving over to the other side of the car. Wendy was struggling out as well, bruises covering her just like Mabel, who now tried to open the door to Ford.

After getting a bit of help from Wendy, they managed to open the door and drag him out, only the slightest moans coming from him. He was hurt pretty bad. Wendy checked him over as best as she could, he was definitely going to be out for a while, but luckily nothing serious was wrong.

 _We're so close... it's just a little bit f_ _urther._ Mabel looked up at the cliffs, that were mere meters away. They just needed to get there... But then she heard the sound of screeching metal, as Gideon's car made it over the gorge with no ill effects. Their cars had been modified for this kind of travel, after all. _No... It can't end right now!_

"Woowee!" Gideon said with a laugh as the other cars joined his, surrounding the injured group. "I dare say y'all almost had the jump on me there for a second. But this ain't your Gravity Falls any more! Out here, I win." He clapped for a second, and one of the prisioners threw him a conch, which he blew. "Bill's henchbats will be here any minute to retrieve y'all. And after a bit of time in jail, you'll come to love me. You lose! Hahahaha!"

Mabel looked over at Wendy, who had a face that showed she had no plan. And with Ford out of the count, she was the only one who could save them. "Do we?"

Gideon paused for a second, glancing at her in confusion. "Well, yeah. I have you all captured, ergo, you lose!"

Mabel shook her head. "Gideon, listen to me. If I've learned anything, it's that I really don't like you. And I doubt I ever will. You're selfish. But you know what? You can change. Bill thinks there's no heroes in this world, but if we work together and fight back, we can defeat him. And if you do this..." She hesitated for a second, before standing firm. "You'll be my hero. Stand up to Bill and let us save Dipper! Then I'll be able to consider another date."

Gideon looked at her, mixed feelings displaying on his face. "T-that's crazy! You know what Bill would do to me if that happens?"

His second in command, Ghost Eyes spoke to him. "What, you scared of Bill?"

"No! I just... It's a complicated situation." The kid murmured, his thoughts mixed and confused.

Mabel put a hand to her heart. "Look inside, Gideon. If all this is for me, do you think I want you do work for Bill? Do you think I want you to be the bad guy?"

Gideon turned away from her, taking a newspaper article out of his pocket, looking at a picture of him and Mabel from a while back. His hands shook for a moment as he looked at it, before turning slightly to her and speaking softly. "Mabel... Will you remember what I did?"

She looked at him, with slight shock on her face. "Of course." Mabel almost couldn't believe that worked. So did this mean that Gideon wasn't that bad after all? She thought back to the time she'd been with him. All he'd wanted was to be together with her, even if he went a bit over board.

"I hope you're right about this." Gideon said with a slightly nervous look, before looking to his group, his confidence returning. "Guys, new plan! Bill's minions are gonna be on us in seconds. But I'm not gonna let that dumb triangle be the warden o' me! Y'all ready for a good old fashioned prison brawl?"

"We're behind you for life, brother!" Ghost eyes told him, readying his weapon.

"Fighting children is boring, but fighting a chaos god sounds fun!" Another said, soon all of them going in in cheers.

"Lets do this!" And soon they were all driving off towards the fearamid, even if there was a chance they weren't going to get out of this in one piece.

Mabel felt her tense slightly. _Am I... worried about Gideon? I just hope... I actually get to see him again, and thank him._ Before she turned to Wendy, who was looking at her with a shocked look on her face.

"That was seriously cool. How'd you do that?"

All the kid gave was a shrug. "I guess, he just really does love me."

There was a cough coming from Ford, causing both the girls attentions to swing to him. He was waking up, gradually. "...I'm... never going to let you talk me into doing anything like that. Again. Ever."

Mabel couldn't help but smile. "Hopefully, we'll never have to do that again."

He slowly got on his feet slowly, bruising all over his body making his movements painful and slow. Grimacing, he looking around. "So, where are they? We couldn't have lost them, especially after a crash like that."

"Well... I got them to leave."

"You? You talked them out of chasing us?" There was the sound of disbelief in his voice.

"I know their leader, so I was able to convince them to leave us alone. Is it really that surprising?"

"No, I just never thought of you as someone who'd talk their way out of a situation."

 _That's probably because you never got a chance to get to know me._ She thought slightly bitterly to herself, before sighing and walking over to Wendy. "Do you still have the key?"

Wendy smiled. "Sure do." She took the large golden key out of her pocket, and showed it to Mabel before giving to her.

"Now all that's left is to get up to the bubble, and save Dipper." Mabel couldn't believe it, they were going to do it. They were almost there!

* * *

Getting up there might have been an impossible task, if not for the fact that Mabel had brought her grappling hook with her. With it, they'd all been able to get up to the bridge supporting the huge yellow and black orb. Mabel looked at the lock right in front of them, wondering what would be inside. Well Dipper obviously, but there was going to be other things as well. This was Dipper's prison, so there had to be things stopping him from escaping, right? _Anything could be in there... Dipper, don't worry, I'm coming to save you._

 _"_ Okay guys, this is a prison bubble made by Bill, so we need to be prepared to handle whatever we find in here." Mabel said with a confident sound her voice, looking at Ford and Wendy.

"This is insane." Ford said with a frown. "But if any of this helps to disrupt Bill's plans, then I can see this being worth it." He holstered his gun, which was battered slightly from the crash, but still functional. _I don't believe for a second we'll find anything good in here. This kid refuses to see that her brother isn't in there. But once we're in there, and we don't find anything but a trap, maybe finally she'll come to her senses._

Wendy gave Mabel a smile. "I'm with you, dude. If Dipper's in there, we'll find him, and take down anything we run into."

Mabel took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ She reached out to the lock, turning the key in the keyhole and watching as the chains around the bubble fell, tumbling to the valley below. The yellow of the bubble glowed slightly, almost in recognition that people were going to enter.

With one last look at the nightmare around them, Mabel took a step forward into the bubble, soon followed by the rest of the group, prepared for what this bubble was going to be.


	49. Chapter 45 Forgotten Nightmare

**Chapter 45**

 _Forgotten Nightmare_

* * *

At first all that they saw was darkness. A darkness blacker than anything they'd ever seen before. It made Mabel wonder if this was the prison, a place so dark that it was impossible to find anything in. But that didn't sound like Bill's style to her. It had to be something else.

All she could hear was the sound of there breathing. Her's was definitely harsh and shaking, due to how scared she was. But why? She should be brave about this whole thing. She should be able to stay strong and find Dipper. But there was that feeling of unknown that filled her with dread. She didn't know what to expect. It could be anything.

But then, there was a sickening cracking sound, like whatever they were standing on was about to- The ground beneath them gave way, and then they were falling. Mabel didn't know where the others where, but they sounded close, due to how loud she could here them screaming. But that's not to say that she wasn't screaming just as loud.

It was sort of strange, the fall didn't feel right. It actually reminded her of the time she had spent in the bottomless pit. Like you were falling, but like you were never going to stop. But they did.

There was a sudden flash of bright light, forcing Mabel to close her eyes and brace herself. Were they about to hit the ground? She dreaded it, realising that this could be the end. What if they fell to their deaths? _It can't happen here. We need to find him!_

She flailed in the air, almost like she was trying to fly, and failing. And with a sickening thud, she hit the ground.

For a moment, she just lay there, wondering if she was dead or not. She didn't feel that hurt, the sudden hit on the ground only causing minor discomfort to the bruises she already had. Her eyes were opening and blinking, adjusting to the light once more. It was then Mabel realised she was looking up at the sky. The _normal_ sky. A clear blue sky, with a few small clouds floating above.

When she tilted her head round, she noticed the large trees surrounding them, the green ground that she was lying on. Wendy and Ford were lying next to her, seemingly just as shocked as she was to see all this. _This... can't be real. This is just a trick, right?_ Mabel slowly sat up, realising she recognised this place. It was a part of the forest that she and Dipper had explored a while back. But how, of all things, was this what was inside the bubble?

She started to think as she got to her feet, followed shortly after by Ford and Wendy. _Maybe this just keeps on going... Yeah! Maybe that's it. It's a maze of trees that no one could possibly find a way out of. But Bill doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does if he thought that this would stop me!_

Almost in silence, the three started to walk through the strangely peaceful forest, not really expecting to get anywhere any time soon. Though, to everyone's shock, after not even ten minutes of walking, they found themselves coming to a clearing, and in that clearing, was none other than the mystery shack.

 _This doesn't make any sense..._ _What kind of a prison is this?_ She attempted to walk forward to the shack, though Ford put a hand in front of her. "This might be a trap. This place isn't making any sense to me, but if there's one thing I know, it's Bill is going to try and trick us with false hope. And that's not the mystery shack. _"_

Mabel bit her lip, realising he was right. They couldn't just run in there and hope that it wasn't a trap waiting to be sprung. "Fine. Then we wait here and see if anyone, or anything comes past." Everyone seemed to agree on that.

They waited there for what seemed like hours, though she expected only half an hour had gone by. It gave her a bit of time to think. _This isn't making any sense. Did Bill make a complete copy of Gravity Falls? When I look around, I can see the water tower a few miles off, so I'm not going to doubt that the whole town has been recreated._ It was almost funny how such a large space was contained in relatively small bubble. _Dipper... This is a lot more confusing than I thought it would be. It makes me think if it's even worth it, if we could actually defeat Bill._

But suddenly, they heard running footsteps coming from in front of them towards the shack. At first, Mabel prepared herself, ready to leap out and jump on whatever monster it was. However as soon as she saw who it was, Mabel froze.

In front of them, holding journal 3 and with a slight smile on his face, was none other than Dipper Pines. And he looked different. Mabel slightly wondered if he was a trick. Dipper was completely human, or at least he looked that way. He was wearing his normal clothes, not that suit that he'd insisted on wearing all the time. He looked... happy. Like he didn't have a care in the world, no worries or fears.

Wendy couldn't believe it either, was that really Dipper?

Ford was frowning, looking at the kid who had just appeared infront of them and was walking up to the shack. _Wait, that looks like the demon that the kid kept insisting was her brother. But it looks... human? From the look of Mabel, this is a shock to her too, but she looks... happy? If I had to guess, I would say that this is her brother, Dipper. But why would the demon bother to look human if it has already convinced the girl of it being her sibling... Unless maybe Bill's doing this instead, and he's using an illusion of her dead brother. Which is just as bad as my other theory. This is obviously a trap to get her, no matter how you cut it. I just need to make sure she doesn't do anything..._ Mabel had already ran out from behind the bush and was calling to him.

"Dipper, I can't believe it! Is that... really you?" She was smiling, probably due to how happy she was feeling. This had to be Dipper, there was no way around it.

The way he looked back at her made her want to cry. Though she wasn't really sure why. He smiled at her with a smile she hadn't seen from him in a while. It was happy and genuine, with that kind of confusion that was unique to Dipper. "Of course... Mabel, do you think I've cloned myself again or something?"

Mabel felt her eyes starting to water. It was him. She'd found him again. She couldn't help it, she hugged him tightly as she started to cry. "No... It's just... I'm so happy to see you." When she noticed what she was doing was probably a bit weird, she stepped back and smiled at him, wiping her eyes. "What... happened in here? You're here and your... you."

Dipper looked at her with that same confused look. "Um... what? You're acting like something bad happened to me or something. Is this a dream you had or something?"

At that, she stepped back slightly, seeing the utter confusion on his face. Something was wrong. _Dipper's acting strange. Like he doesn't..._ "Dipper... Did anything bad happen to us, anything to do with Bill?"

"That triangle? We defeated him, remember? After he went into Grunkle Stan's mind."

That confirmed it. _This is Dipper, there's no doubt about. It's like this... feeling. Maybe it's a twin thing, but I just know. But he... he doesn't remember it. He doesn't remember any of it. I don't understand it, how could this even be possible?_ _Wait, of course it's possible. This is Bill's prison. But what would he get out of this? Think Mabel... think._ Then something clicked. _This is what Dipper wanted. He wished the whole deal with Bill hadn't ever happened. And in here... It hasn't happened. It's a dream. One that he'd never want to wake up from._ This was worse than any prison Mabel could have ever thought of. It was one with no restricts, no bars, nothing to stop the prisoner to leave. The only thing keeping Dipper here was the fact that he didn't want to leave.

"Yeah... I guess it was just a dream! Ha... Just me and my silly dreams!" Mabel laughed slightly, hugging herself as she tried to think what to do. _I can't tell him... He want believe me and even if he does... I can't make him go through this all again. Not this torture._ She glanced slightly behind her, she couldn't see Wendy and Ford, so they must be still hiding. "You can come out. It's safe." She said at normal volume, not shouting to make it obvious. But after a reluctant second, Wendy stuck her head up.

Dipper's eyes widened. "Wendy? What's going on here? Don't tell me you two were going on adventure without me. And don't tell me anything else because I can see the bruises." He sighed, smiling. "Ah, who am I kidding? What did you find? It must have been something pretty dangerous to get you roughed up like that."

Mabel looked at the bush, waiting for Ford to come out too. But he didn't. She glanced at Wendy as she walked up to the two, and she had a look on her face that told her she'd explain, later. She then looked at Dipper, frowning slightly as she tried to come up with an explanation. "It was... a dragon! A huge dragon in the woods! It was trying to eat the gnomes so we... stopped it."

Dipper at first didn't look entirely convinced, but then he shrugged and looked at her. "Now that's something that you should have brought me along for. There's nothing about a dragon in the journal, so I need to write something out for it!" He looked almost lost in thought, before remembering about Mabel and Wendy. "You too do look in pretty bad shape. Come on, I'm sure Stan'll have something for those bruises and scratches." Dipper then continued to run into the house, glancing back to make sure they were following.

Mabel and Wendy soon walked after him, and she looked at the teen. "What's he doing?"

"He said he was going to look around and find an exit or anything like that. So when we're ready to leave we can just do that. But honestly, I don't think that's what he's really doing." Wendy shrugged slightly as she spoke. "So, is that really him? Is it really Dipper?"

 _So Ford's off wandering around town. Great. I wonder what hilarious adventures he'll get up too. It would have been so much better if he'd stayed with us. He and Dipper could have had a fresh start._ She sighed, before answering. "It's him alright. But... it's like it never happened. He doesn't remember any of it. It's the perfect prison. There's no reason for him to leave."

Wendy looked at her. "Oh man."

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Mabel said as they walked into the shack that was exactly the same to the one they knew. "This is going to be harder than I thought."


	50. Sorry

I feel completely pathetic for saying this, but I need a break. You've probably noticed that I haven't talked at all in the latest chapters, and that's because I'm struggling to get them out even without talking. I've been feeling quite stressed slightly, due to my final exams being only a few months away. My teachers are giving me heaps and heaps of homework, with any spare time I have being used for revision and planning for my prom.

I made I rule for myself to keep this story going, no matter what. And I intend to do that. I've started too many stories and never finished them, betraying myself, and anyone that bothered to read them. But this story is different. It's something that I doubted would take off, but it did. Now I stand here with a story with more than 65,000 views, and hundreds of followers, and all I can say is thank you.

I can't betray the trust you have in me for this story, so no matter what, I'm never going to just abandon it. Give me a week, two at the most, to get myself together. I'll be able to get everything I need t do out the way, and concentrate more on this story. I'll have any serious revision out the way for a while, and any coursework I need done, done.

Once again, I'm sorry for this, but I don't want to cause myself any more stress than I have right now.


	51. Chapter 46 The Truth

**Chapter 46**

 _The Truth_

* * *

Mabel didn't know what to do. What could she do? In her eyes, her brother was all but gone. It was strange. He didn't seem like Dipper any more, even though it was just that he was back how he was before. She felt almost empty inside.

When they'd gotten inside the shack, it had felt like they were just back to how things were. It felt like everything was right again. _But it's not._ When she'd seen Stan, it almost made her heart want to break. She wanted to run up and hug him and never let him go, her family could be back together. All she had to do was give in to this dream, this fantasy. _No._ Stan felt off. It was the little hints, ones that she was surprised she noticed. He didn't seem as harsh as he normally was on Dipper, but Mabel could understand that Dipper would imagine him to be better on him.

Stan and Dipper had helped fix them up, and Wendy had stayed by Mabel afterwards, still unnerved and shocked by this whole thing. Dipper had talked to Mabel and Wendy, explaining what he'd been doing and asking them questions about the 'dragon' they'd encounted. Mabel felt it go by quickly, which filled her with slight relief.

As soon as Dipper was entertained with another of a bizarre story to keep him occupied, Mabel made her escape. Wendy could tell this was wearing on her, so she'd decided to hang out with the kid so he wouldn't miss Mabel. Besides, she was kind of happy. She and Dipper had never been able to hang out after the deal.

Mabel had rushed out the house as soon as she could, running into the town centre. She could feel the tears on her face, with the warm air drying them almost instantly. It was strange, she just couldn't understand. _I should be happy. I've found Dipper again, I have my brother back! And yet..._ It wasn't the same. This whole place... was an illusion, nothing more. All of the town felt off to her, like a breath would make it all come crumbling down. Even Dipper felt like that, though she knew that it was really him. _It's like a part of him is missing, the part that I'd grown to accept even if he hadn't._

She came to a stop near the town museum, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "I'm... such a cry baby." She laughed slightly to herself before looking around, she had a strange feeling that she was being watched. A sigh escaped her lips, before she attempted to enter the doors.

"Mabel, are you all right?"

The whispering voice of Ford jolted her slightly, so she spun on the spot, looking around until she spotted the man hiding by the side of the building like he was ready for a fight. Mabel actually found it a bit of relief to see him there, a real person, instead of all the fakes she saw around her. "What... are you doing?"

Ford looked tense, as she imagined he would be. He'd come here expecting to have a fight with dozens of monsters waiting for them, and instead they'd found this place. It was obvious that he'd be suspicious. "I'm sorry to have left you and the teen alone with that...", he hesitated for a second, which seemed slightly odd to Mabel, " _t_ _hing._ There's no reason for us to stay here any longer, you're theory was wrong, so we better get out of here before we become trapped. I've been searching for an exit from this place but I am yet to find... What's wrong?"

Mabel hadn't noticed it herself, but her eyes had started to drip tears once more, what was wrong with her? She sniffled and wiped the tears away, feeling her face heat up slightly. "Don't you understand... You're just so..." The girl looked up at the sky and laughed. "At one point I thought that maybe I'd be able to get through the you. But now I realise, there's just no changing you, is there? But Dipper changed... he doesn't even remember any of it. Any of what happened at all, not even you."

 _She's going on about this again._ "Kid, you can't keep going on about this-"

The look on her face halted him, as it would anyone. Mabel turned round with a face that was full of pain and sadness, a tortured soul that had trouble deciding what to do. Dipper had once been the responsible one, how funny that now she had to take that role. "Did I ever... really tell you what happened to Dipper? Before all of this?"

Ford looked at her with slight confusion. "Mabel, this isn't the... No. No you haven't."

Mabel smiled slightly at him. "We have time... There isn't a rush. Just... sit down and let me explain it all." She looked to her side. "I know it won't do anything. But maybe it'll ease my mind a bit about this whole thing."

The man didn't say a word, he just nodded. "Alright kid. I'll... I'll give you that. I'll listen to your story." _The poor kid, what has that demon done to her mind?_

She smiled, walking to him and slumped against the wall next to him, sinking to the floor. Ford hesitated slightly, before kneeling beside her. It was silent for the longest of times, before Mabel took a long breath, and spoke.

"Me and Dipper hadn't expected much from this vacation, it was just going to be a summer away from home in this strange town. Until Dipper... Well, he found this book in the woods."

Ford looked at her. "My journal."

She only gave him a smile as any acknowledgement of him speaking. "He idolised you, you know? You were a mystery to him, an enigma that left behind a treasure trove of secrets for him to unlock. He was so much more alive than before. I guess I should thank you for that."

 _This sounds like the one who wrote in my journal, so those entries hand to definitely be from her brother. But at what point did all that change?_ Ford thought without speaking, listening to her story carefully so he could try and see where it split off from the truth.

"We saw gnomes, gremloblins and even merpeople!" Mabel smiled slightly as she remembered Mermando before continuing and her voice dipped slightly. "But then... we met him. The one who was the root of all our problems. Bill. We defeated him, or at least we thought we had."

Ford gave her a nod. _Nothing seems out of the ordinary right now. Bill would lead them on. But where does this tale spilt from reality in her mind?_

Mabel sighed, closing her eyes for a moment to cry and push away the pained memories. "Dipper started having nightmares. At first, he wouldn't tell me about them but I could tell they were having a strain on him, and it just seemed to get worse. Until Dipper came out and told me that Bill had contacted him. He said the terrors were getting too dangerous for his mind and had offered Dipper a deal: He'd take away the nightmares and since it would give him strength for having them, he asked for nothing in return."

 _No alarms so far..._ "I... That sounds too good to be true." Ford murmured slightly.

She only laughed. "If only we'd been smart enough to know that. But we were fearful of these nightmares, so we took the deal. And then it backfired." Mabel looked up at the sky, a single tear dripping from her left eye. "I saw my world crumble. I saw my own brother _die._ Right in front of me." A smile. "But... Bill hadn't expected him to fight back, and soon Dipper was alive again. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, it was a dream come true."

 _This has to be it. This has to be what happened. Bill had killed the kid and... Wait, wouldn't that make Bill the demon that's tricking Mabel? This... This sort of thing doesn't seem like Bill. He wouldn't pretend to be someone he's not for a long period of besides, I would have been able to tell that it was Bill disguised, wouldn't I? If it's Bill... It can't be, could it? He's outside of this bubble, and yet... the demon is in here. I don't..._

"I was just happy to have Dipper back, I barely cared about what had happened to the triangle. He was gone before I could. Me and Dipper went back to the shack, but... soon we realised something was wrong. Dipper was like a ghost, he floated and was completely invisible to everyone but me. Soon we learned that when he'd broken the deal with Bill, he'd taken a large chunk of the demon's power and it..." She glanced at Ford for a second, who oddly looked like he was having a small breakdown, before looked back ato the sky. "It turned him into one. A demon. Dipper became what he worst feared."

 _I don't understand. This doesn't make sense. Where does it connect? Bill has to be the demon who's impersonating her brother... but he's outside. So what's in here? Is it another taking up the task for him? But then how would it know how to impersonate the child just like Cipher? And why did it look so much more human than before Weirdmageddon? This. Doesn't. Make. Sense._ Ford's mind couldn't comprehend it. He couldn't find a place where his 'truth' interacted with Mabel's. But then, a horrible thought came to his thoughts. "Am I wrong?"

He instantly realised that he'd said that out loud, because Mabel was looking at him with a look of shock and slight hope. Quickly getting to his feet, Ford backed away from her. "Don't... Don't you see? That's all a... lie. I'm the one in the right! That _thing_ is not your brother!" He was panting, his eyes twitching uncontrollably, like a child who hadn't gotten his way.

Mabel wasn't even speaking, she was slowly getting up on her feet, looking at him with curiosity. _Did I just..._

Ford didn't know what else to do. He needed space, he needed to sort out his mind and think. So he did the only thing he could think to do, run.

 _...get through to him?_ She was left standing there, with a shocked expression, staring at the place where the man had been moments ago.

* * *

He was running away like a child, that's what he hated about this. _What's wrong with me? I'm supposed to be the adult here, but I ran!_ He was trudging throughout the woods. _She always sounded like a fanatic, someone clinging on to false hope. But was it really me who was acting crazy? No. I'm right. I have to be!_

Ford was confused, frustrated with only one thing he could think to do. He needed to find the truth, so he went to the house in the woods, and knocked on the door.

It was a few moments before someone answered the door and opened it to him, Ford speaking quickly. "Hello... Dipper? You're sister told me a lot about you."

* * *

 **I'm back, I guess. I just want to thank all of you for the support you gave me during this little time off. :) I can't thank you enough. So what was I up too? Well, I made a real start on my school art project, and I've done a lot of my revision, releasing most of the stress, so I can write this without it adding to my stress anymore. Updates will be going back to normal, though I need to warn you at starting in May, updates will go a bit haywire (that is the say, if this isn't finished by then), due to my final exams starting and of course I'll need to focus most of my attention on that.**

 **Anyway, I also got to watch the final of this wonderful show during my time off from this. And I have to say, I cried. Like, a lot. It was a wonderful send off to such a beautiful show that I was surely miss. Though I didn't get to find out Dipper's real name so hopefully that'll be in the journal 3 that coming out in July. However there was one gripe I had with the finale. Stan getting his memory back. I know it's a show on Disney, but I really didn't want such a 'happy' resolve. Heck, this show really deserved one, but doesn't him getting his memory back really undermine the whole sacrifice he made? Maybe it's just me.**

 **One last thing, I want to open myself up to all of you lovely people. So I'll be adding a lot of ways that you can contact me to my profile page if you ever want me to answer questions about this story, or just have a chat! You could hit me up on Skype, or even reddit if you wanted. ;) See you next time!**


	52. Chapter 47 Mistakes

**Chapter 47**

Mistakes

* * *

Dipper looked up at the man at his door in confusion, who was he, and why had Mabel told the guy about him. There was something odd about him that the boy just couldn't place, giving him a strange sense of deja vu, especially from the way he looked extremely alike to his great uncle. "Um... Yes? Who are you?"

Ford kept his hands behind his back, mostly so that he couldn't see how badly they were shaking. It wasn't from fear, or nerves, or anything like that, it was from the sort of internal breakdown he was having, from the fact that he might not be right about this whole thing. His face was strained slightly, but he could control his features enough to make his smile look genuine. "My name is Ford, and I'm..." He hesitated, what should he tell him? _Is it, or he, just acting? He's looking at me with an expression that shows he doesn't recognise me. Mabel said something about him not remembering, is this what she means? If it's true that he has amnesia, then approaching him with my true identity would not be wise, not until I know enough about what's going on, at least. So what to make up..._

 _"_ I'm a researcher of the supernatural, and I came to this town to see if the rumours are true of its nature, people say that weird stuff happens here. You see, I'm currently developing a televised documentary, and your sister approached me and told me of you and a... book you found?" _I'd say that's pretty good, it sounds believable._

Ford got his answer, as the boys eyes light up like light bulbs, and he gasped sharply for a second in excitement. "Re-really!? This is... amazing! Come in, come in!" Dipper was looking at him, full of excitement before beckoning the man inside. "It's right upstairs... Wendy! You're not going to believe this!" He shouted up the stairs and began to climb them at a rather fast pace.

The man followed him quickly, but with an air of caution. He was still ready for if, or when a trap would be sprung. _This whole place could just be trying to trip me up. How do I know that back there was even the real Mabel, it could have just been an illusion._ Though Wendy appeared to be in the house, if it was the real Wendy. She would have more information on anything 'off' about the area.

When they made it up at the stairs, Ford found Wendy sitting on the bed. She and Dipper seemed to be in the middle of watching a film, which was left paused due to the interruptions. She glanced to the door of the room, in slightly curiosity to what her friend could mean, but when she saw Ford, her eyes widened in slightly shock, but mostly confusion. "Dipper-" She started quietly, but he hadn't even heard her and had begun to talk.

"This is Ford, he's a paranormal researcher. He's going to do a documentary on Gravity Falls, and wants to have a look at the journal! Isn't that great?" Dipper was grinning, before rushing over to where the journal rested on his bedside table.

While he was preoccupied, Wendy took the time to give Ford a look that read: _What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like Dipper!_

Ford had gotten quite good at reading expressions through his travels, so her silent words came through quite clear, so he gave his own look back. It was stern and quite obviously meant: _I need to know the truth._

But then Dipper turned back around again, and both their faces changed back to the façades they put up for the boy. He had the journal held tightly in his hands as he rushed over to Ford. "Here, take a look. There's so much in it... More than enough for you to use in your show!" The book was exchanged into the man's hands, and he let out a slight gasp, that Dipper grinned at, clearly thinking it was just a gasp of amazement.

And it was, but not for the reasons Dipper would think. Ford was amazed at how identical the book was. As he scanned the front cover, he saw that every tear, every dent was exactly as they would have been if it was the real journal 3. He was almost convinced that it really was his journal. He looked through the pages, and sure enough, every note he'd ever written was identical. And of course it had all the details that the boy himself had added, clear as day in blue to contrast against Ford's black ink.

After flicking through a few pages, he looked up to the kid who was staring eagerly at him to see what he thought. "This research is definetly... something. Despite your obvious admiration of the supernatural, you didn't write this book, so who did?"

Dipper's face fell for a second, it was that strange sense of deja vu again. "I... don't know. I've been trying to find out who did for a while, but I never found anything. It's kind of sad actually."

Ford looked at him in slightly confusion. "How so?"

A sigh. "Well, it would be really cool to meet the guy, you know? He'd have to be incredibly intelligent, and have a real dedication to this place to fill this book with his findings. Maybe if I found him, he could teach me a bit. I mean, he's the reason I'm so fascinated by all this. When I first came here, I thought it was just going to be another boring summer until I found this journal. I've had so many adventures because of it." Dipper had started to smile again, glancing up at the man once more. "But anyway, what do think of it? Is it good enough for your show?"

 _It's just like Mabel said... I am, or at least was... his idol. This feels so real, it... has to be, hasn't it? How could a demon imitate a human so well, why would they even bother to? Unless... it... was her brother._ He felt something shatter inside his mind, jolting him slightly. That terrible realisation that he'd made a horrible mistake. When he looked down at the boy, he was on the verge of breaking, but managed to play it off as quickly as he could. "This is... more than enough. But you... should keep it." He bent down and gave the journal back over.

Dipper took it back, but gave a confused look to him. "But..."

For the first time in forever, a smile appeared on Ford's lips. "You need to keep discovering the mysteries, don't you?"

That was enough for the boy, as he smiled and gave a laugh. "I guess your right. But I need to show you some of the stuff I've found... I'll be right back!" And with that, Dipper ran out the room to try and find his flash light, as he was sure he had one of those height altering crystals handy.

Once he was gone, Ford looked over at Wendy, though she spoke first. "This is the last place I'd expect to see you..."

"Just, I needed to know what was real." He shook his head. "I need you to go and find Mabel, I last saw her in the town centre and I need to make sure she's safe. I left her on... abrupt terms."

The teen looked at him, but could see that something was off with him. Something behind his eyes that meant it would be best for her to leave him and Dipper alone. So she gave a sigh. "Fine, just don't try and kill him while I'm gone, or Mabel'll kill you." She started to walk out the room, but bumped into Dipper who was coming back in with a flash light.

"Where are you-?"

"I just got a text from Tambry, she needs some help with something." It wasn't the best excuse, but it was the best she could come up with on the fly. "Have fun with your scientist friend!" And then she was down the stair and out the door.

Dipper frowned, but shrugged it off and looked at Ford. "Okay, check this out!" He ran to his bedside table and opened the draw to take out a small blue crystal, that he quickly tapped to the flash light. With a grin, he pointed the flashlight at his bed, a blue light shining on it and causing it to shrink to half its size before he shut the light off.

Ford watched with slight admiration. _So he found the crystals then... Interesting way of using them. I never thought to attach one to a flash light._ "Thats amazing, height altering crystals?"

"Amazing, isn't it! And I just need to do this..."He turned the crystal round, before shining the torch again and this time a pink light was emitted, making the bed grow back to normal size. He then walked over to Ford to show him. "I found them in the deep in the forest, there was tiny animals all around them. I could show you if you like..."

The man shook his head, hesitant not to leave the house so soon. "No, no, I'm sure with the proper directions, I could find them myself." Then a thought popped into his head. "Have you ever thought... that there might be invisible ink included in the journal?"

Dipper's eyes widened slightly. "No... do you think there would be?"

"Well, why don't we find out? Do you have anything that omits ultraviolet?"

The boy thought for a second, before remembering the party Stan had had once and went over to his beside table again and took out a blacklight. He opened up the journal and took a breath. "Lets see if you're right..." Then he turned on the blacklight and aimed it. Soon he gasped. "Invisible ink... You were right!" There they were, under the purple light, messages on every page.

Ford gave a slightly shaky laugh before crouching by him. "I figured as much, most research journals will have some secrets not naked to the human eye." He could see it, that sense of wonder and amazement evident on the boys face. How long had it been since he'd felt that way? How long since this sort of discovery gave him a punch of amazement.

Dipper was silent, just taking in the whole new discovery he'd just made because of this researcher. But something was off. These notes looked... familar to him, so much so that he could have sworn he'd seen them before. Thinking too hard about it started giving him a headache, so he tried to loosen himself up. _It's just a coincidence, it's impossible that I've seen them before, right? I'm just now learning about the ink so I couldn't have._ He turned his attention towards the new notes and to reading them.

The man beside him watched, watching a smile come onto his face again. Watching the boy discover new content of the journal like this made him wonder what had made him truly hate the boy in the first place. It had all just been because of his anger towards the race a as a whole, because of his expreiences. But not once had stopped to see the situation from Mabel's angle, or ever better, her brothers.

Ford had a feeling of guilt deep down in his stomach. The realisation that he'd been the one in the wrong. That he'd been the monster.


	53. Chapter 48 Forced Realisation

**Chapter 48**

 _Forced Realisation_

* * *

 _Why on earth would he be at the shack?_ Mabel kept wondering at as she made her way back, followed closely by Wendy.

The teen had found her half and hour before, telling her that Ford was with Dipper and wanted to have her back safe. _For once he cares about me._ She'd thought with slight bitterness, still confused as to why he had just rushed away from her. She couldn't have finally gotten through to him, could see?

She shook her head as they walked, still wondering what she would find inside the shack.

A part of her was fearful that she'd walk in to find Ford with a gun to Dipper's head once more, ready to kill him. She didn't even know if it was possible for Dipper to die her, and she wasn't intending on finding out.

"Are you sure he's there? It doesn't make sense that he'd want to be even remotely close to Dipper." Mabel half murmured, half asked Wendy, who gave a shrug in reply.

The teen responded only with the words, "Yeah, doesn't make much sense to me either, but he came knocking in on me and Dipper. Seemed kinda distressed if I'm honest, like he was trying to keep himself together." Her eyes focused ahead. "I'm kinda worried that leaving them too alone might not have been a good idea."

* * *

Well, what they found definitely wasn't what they'd expected.

"And then, as you turn a corner in the dark labyrinth, a fire troll jumps out in a sneak attack!" Shouted Ford in an attempt to trip up his opponents concentrated gaze. Dipper faltered slightly, before smiling.

"But you forget, I have a shield thats resistant to fire attacks! So I'll use that shield to try and stun him... Haha! Yes!" Dipper cheered in victory as he rolled his dice in the range for his attack to be a success.

Mabel and Wendy only stared from the doorway in absolute shock. The two males hadn't even noticed their presence, being completely absorbed in their game.

 _He's... playing a game with_ _Dipper?_ She'd been expecting a seen of abject horror, and instead she got this. It left her speechless, finding it hard to think of what to do next.

Until Dipper glanced his head to the right and finally noticed her, his eyes widening for a moment, before giving a smile. "Hey Mabel, did you know Ford plays Dungeons Dungeons and More Dungeons? He's a really great game master!"

Ford silently choked on his own laughter for the kids win when Dipper spoke of Mabel, and he looked up to see that she was indeed there. There was hesitation for a moment and then he gave a slightly unnerved chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't call myself _that_ good, but back in the day I might have been."

"I...", was all Mabel could manage to say, still speechless.

Dipper frowned at her for a moment, before seamingly understanding. "Oh... You want to play to, don't you? Well, I've told you before, this game can have more than two players, you and Wendy can both play with us! I already have a few designs for some awesome female characters you two could play."

Finally, she managed to shake herself out of it. "Well... actually I... Can me and Wendy talk to Ford for a moment? Alone?" She hated to exclude Dipper like this, but it was just be too confusing and probably better for him to not be here.

A single blink from Dipper as he processed her question, and then shrugged. "I... guess. I need to find a few of my design sheets anyway so have fun."

* * *

When he was out of the room, Mabel approached Ford slowly, who had began to stand up from the position where he had been sitting. "Mabel, I..."

"I... just don't get you." She said flatly.

A single sigh came from him. "I'm sorry. For everything. This is all... my fault."

"...What?"

"If I hadn't been blind to what was right in front of me, you would have never felt the need to mistrust me, or my inventions. It's my fault that Bill was able to start this apocalypse."

Mabel shook her head. "I don't care about any of that. Not right now, at least, so don't apologise to me. Besides, it's not me who needs to forgive you. Once Dipper gets his memory back, I'm guessing he won't be as happy to 'hang out' with you as he is now."

A silence, then a sigh.

"Just... What did you tell him?"

"Just that I'm a researcher and came to the town in search for supernatural phenomena to use in a TV show. He doesn't know anything else, not that I told him. But why is he like this anyway, why does he have amnesia?"

A small part of Mabel was overjoyed that this was happening, that Ford was actually wondering about why something was wrong with Dipper, or in fact, that he was actually think of him as a person and not a she couldn't care for that part right now. "Bill, of course. It has to be. I've been thinking about it for the past few hours as to why Bill would make a place like this. But then it hit me. This is a prison, just like we first thought it was."

Ford nodded. "But from what I've seen, I'm guessing the bars aren't physical."

"Yeah." Wendy said, finally contributing to their conversation. "Dipper doesn't remember anything that would alert him to this world being fake."

"So why worry? Why bother to think about leaving a place he believes is the real thing. He doesn't need to worry about anything he did before." Mabel added with a sigh.

And it all connected. "Why do you need bars when the prisoner doesn't want to leave in the first place?"

They all felt hopeless, how would they be able to do it? How could they get Dipper out of this prison? "Maybe if we drop hints around that might ease his memory back?" It felt stupid, but it was the easiest option that she could thin of. After all, she didn't want to give him all those nightmares back, she wished that he didn't have to remember.

Ford considered the option, but shook his head. "We don't have time to ease him into it. Bill is outside of here doing who knows what, he could have spread his power across the whole world by now."

"I have to agree with the man, Gravity Falls is in trouble, and we don't have time to wait around. As much as I don't want to, I think we should just force him to come with us. We can say sorry after we're out of this mess." Wendy suggested. She was sure she'd be able to pick him up and run out if it was necessary.

 _But that won't work, will it? It wouldn't be that simple._ "How do we know that would work either? The whole reason Dipper is here is because he wants to be. If he still does, what's the say we _can't_ bring him out of here."

Ford seemed to agree with her. "That would make sense. When I was in the 'town', I noticed that this place isn't infinite, it only looks that way. I walked all the way to the edge of this town, and came across a invisible barrier. I'd bet that it would go down if that was what the kid wanted, and I'd guess it's the only way out as well."

"So you both want to just sit around?" Wendy felt backed into a corner slightly, they didn't have any time!

"No. All I'm saying is that I doubt Bill would make it simple enough for us to just grab him and go. We need to try and find a middle ground." The man glanced to Mabel, hoping that she would understand that time wasn't on their side.

The look on her face confirmed that she did. _We can't just stay here until it happens. We need to make it happen, don't we? If we can't leave without Dipper wanting to, then he needs to get his memories back, and fast. That stupid triangle! Why did he have to make this so difficult?_ She was about to speak, but paused. _We need a middle ground... So..._ Her face fell slightly. _Does that mean we'd need to force his memories back? Just come right out and say that all of this was real? How could I... do that to him? Even if its for his own good, something like that could break him. Tell him that this world is fake and he's living a dream? That he's really a demon now and Bill's taken over?_

She spoke quietly, painfully. "I... know what we have to do."

* * *

They were all downstairs in the living room, not really doing anything but watching some reruns on TV. It was mostly silent, because the three were all dreading what they were going to do, even Ford.

Mabel could feel that small fear inside of herself growing. _What if Dipper hates me for doing this? I don't want to break him out of this fantasy so fast... I wish he could be happy a little while longer, enjoy this dream. But it's not, is it? This is a nightmare in disguise._ Ford gave her a nod, which meant it was time to go.

Dipper was sitting in front Mabel, blissfully oblivious to it all as Mabel reached out and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Huh?"

She took a deep breath, holding back a few tears as she spoke, shaking slightly. "Dipper... Remember Bill?"

"Well yeah, he's that dream demon. What about him?"

"What if I told you that he'd trapped you in a dream?"

"Well, I'd know it was a dream, wouldn't I? It would something too good to be true, so I'd easily see through it."

 _And this is too good to be true, isn't it?_ "No... Dip... What if... all this was a dream?"

There was a silence for a few seconds as Dipper thought of an answer. "Mabel, what are you asking me this for? You're sounding a bit like you did yesterday after you came out of the woods with Wendy."

"Because... something happened. Something bad." She glanced away from him for a moment, trying to compose herself. _Don't hold back, just do it! Think of pulling of a band aid..._ "None of this is real. All of this... It's a fake world created by Bill. He's causing the end of the world, and we're here to bring you back so we can take back the town."

"You know... that's crazy... right? None of what you just said made sense."

"Well how about this? Ford is actually Stan's secret twin brother who's been trapped in a portal for more than a decade!" She could feel her heart pulsing faster, as she tried to block out her own feelings. _Just get it out... Just get it out!_ "Oh, and he's also the Author of the Journals!"

Dipper looked away from her to Ford, who gave a slight nod to confirm, but Dipper didn't seem impressed. "Yeah, sure. This is a prank you three are trying to pull, isn't it? Because its not that funny. I know thats not true, because Grunkle Stan would have told us. Here, I'll prove it." He got up from where he was sitting and shouted out of the room for Stan, who came into the room after a few seconds, drinking some Pit Cola.

"Is this man your brother, Stan? Mabel seems to think he is."

The bubble's version of Stan took a look at Ford, before frowning and shaking his head. "No, I don't have a brother."

"See?"

"No, don't you see! You lost your memory of ever meeting Ford, so of course a dream version of Stan wouldn't know about him either!"

"Are you sure you aren't on Smile Dip again..."

Mabel couldn't take it, so she stood up. "No, no! This isn't real! You need to understand that! Seriously, Ford has _six_ fingers! And what is on the front of your journal? A six fingered hand!"

Dipper backed off slightly, wondering why Mabel looked so stressed. "It's obviously just a coincidence. If he was the Author, why would he be asking me about the towns weirdness?"

"It was a cover. I wasn't sure how to approach you, as we weren't on good terms before you lost your memory and Bill put you here. Trust her, kid. This isn't the real Gravity Falls." Ford finally spoke, managing to keep a lot more calm than Mabel was being right now.

"Wow, you are really taking this joke the whole mile, aren't you?" Dipper gave a smile and a laugh. "It's funny, I get it, alright? I can't find the Author, so your joking about-" There was a static sound in his ears, alarming him slightly. _What?_ A image of poor quality flashed by his eyes, making him have to lean against the wall to keep his balance. He could see an image of Ford pointing a gun right at his face, shouting something, though no sound came with the image, only that static noise.

Something was wrong. Mabel stopped shouting, watching as Dipper suddenly looked alarmed, like he was somewhere else. He stumbled slightly, his eyes wide and staring at nothing. "Dip... Dipper! Oh my... Are you okay?"

The static was still there, even when the image faded into his memory, and he couldn't tell his surroundings again. Dipper felt agitated, like he'd never been before. He had a sudden feeling to get away from them, causing him to slowly begin to step out the room, when his feet felt secure. "Your... Your lying."

Mabel could see that fearful look on his face, knowing she had to have gone too far to fast. She reached her hand out to him, but Dipper just hit it away from him. "Get away from me! What did... What did you do with the real Mabel... You have to be some kind of clone, or shapeshifter, or something!" A shoot of pain went through him, causing him to cry out again and reach for his head, this time getting some video and a bit of sound through the static. It was of a monster approaching him and Wendy in a cave. He could hear himself talking, but it didn't sound like himself, more like Bill. Blue flames leaped from around him, starting to burn the creature and it started to screech.

The static started to burn out the memory? once more, leaving Dipper feeling more stressed and confused than before.

"Just... Leave me alone!"

"Dip... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this, I should have just... Wait!" Dipper had done it, he'd ran.

* * *

 _Get out of my head. Stop it, stop it! What's going on... Why am I getting this images from something that was just a joke?_ He was running in the forest, as fast as he could. Tears were on his face from pain and confusion, as the static burned in his mind, leaving him without the ability to think straight.

More images and videos struck at his mind, some with sound, some without, but always with a sharp pain. _This isn't a dream, they're lying... And my memory is completely fine... Then what... what are these pictures? Why do they seem so vivid?_

Being so caught up in his thoughts, it was natural that soon Dipper's foot connected with a large rock and he started to tumble. He cried out as he fell, his head hitting the ground with a thud that actually shielded him from the painful static for a few second before the onslaught continued.

He was crying, curled up on the floor as he clutched at his head and tried to get the pain to stop. _I... don't understand any of this... None of this makes sense... Please... Why won't it stop?_

And then, the hardest flush of pain came, causing him to let out a small scream before it all went away. All of the pain and the static, and yet, the images, the video, the voices, they all stayed. Fitting together in a complicated jigsaw that made sense finally.

 _So this._ A large feeling of anger started to flood him, like his peace had been stolen and there was nothing that could replace it. He stayed crouched on the ground, his eyes low and staring at the grassy ground beneath him.

"Dipper!" Mabel's voice called out to him from in front, causing him to look up.

 _This is my fault, I broke him, didn't I? I pushed him too far..._ She felt so worried, until she looked into his eyes, and a happiness filled her. Those were Dippers eyes, eyes that understood everything she'd said. That meant that it had to have worked. And yet... there was something wrong in those eyes.

"Why..." She heard him murmur. "Why couldn't you let me be happy?"

Mabel looked at him, feeling her happiness drift away slightly. "But Bill took your memories... I had to..."

Then a pained laugh came from Dipper as his eyes narrowed at her. "Bill did this? No... He didn't take my memories... I did."

* * *

 **As you've not probably seen, this chapter was an extra 1,000 words long! You feel special, don't you? You should do, because... because... Honestly this chapter is only longer because I wanted to see your reaction to that plot twist. I thought you wouldn't get the whole effect if I ended at Dipper running, because that meant the plot twist would be revealed in the middle of the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, things have been pretty wild for me. I finally got back into Anime! You didn't know I watch Anime, did you? Well, I do. Last Sunday I started and finished watching Attack on Titan, and holy moly what a gem! I'll need some suggestions for other good anime to watch, so if you know any, send me a private message about it.**

 **And I should probably answer a few questions. First off, being about Transcendence AU exclusive characters like Henry, and the twins. I think it's about time that I should tell you I've decided that this story will be ending when Dipper and Mabel go home after Weirdmaggedon. The reasons for this are a number, mostly being because I want to end this story around the time I finish school, because without stopping there this would go on forever... and also, because I don't see the point. How I see it, this story is just an alternate _start_ to the transcendence, with events after going just as they would in the normal AU, and since there are already so many stories do to with that, there's no point.**

 **Also, someone else asked about Dipper getting sucked into the rift with all the other demons like in the show, and yes, he would. But you need to realise that it would mean he'd just loose his permanent physical form that he gets with Weirdmageddon. Yes he'd be dragged back into the Nightmare Realm, but he wouldn't loose the ability to communicate with Mabel or anyone else through dreams or the occasional physical form.**

 **Well, thats all I can think to talk about, so see you next time!**


	54. Chapter 49 All For Nothing

**Chapter 49**

 _All For Nothing_

* * *

For a few seconds, it was like the world stood still. _Dipper... took his own memories? But why, thats insane!_ She couldn't find a way that it made sense. What did he have to gain from it? _So does this mean Bill had nothing to do with this place? Did Dipper create this world himself? Dip... I want to understand why you'd do this._

Dipper was getting up on his feet slowly, his eyes sunken in his skull, looking defeated, yet angry. "You're probably all wondering... why? Why on earth would I do such a thing? But then think, think what it is like for me? Having to cope with all the pressures of what I've become. All the nightmares I'll have to endure now, and in the future."

He laughed slightly, rubbing his face. "I fought Bill... Thinking I could protect you, save you... Stop this horror from happening. But he was too powerful. I couldn't even land a scratch... And then I woke up here, in a model of the town, complete with no mistakes. And in it... I got what I wanted. A world where I never got those demonic powers, where my fate was never broken from your side. Do you know how that must of felt?"

"I...", was all Mabel could manage. She was hesitant, trying to get an answer out but Dipper's pained eyes bore into her own, stopping her cold.

Her brother continued, not waiting for her to choke out a reply. "Bill didn't need to wipe my memories. Do you know why? Because I'm... I'm weak." He gave another laugh as he turned away from them, looking up at a sky that had turned dark with the night sky, thunder evident in the distance. "He was right... I can't accept it. I can't accept the fate I'm been dealt. So I'd stay here either way." He reached his hand up as he turned back round, wiping a tear before it could fall. "But I still had to live with the fact that somewhere out side of this miniature world, you, and everyone else I care about, were having to deal with a living hell. You could have been hurt, or worse. If I'd had to continue with that fact, I'm not sure my mental state would have remained intact. So I guess subconsciously, I just made it all... go away." Dipper looked over at Mabel once more. "You're probably mad, but can you blame me?"

 _He's right. I don't know what this is like. I've tried... but I can't compare anything to his situation._ She stepped closer to him slowly, finally managing a few words. "No... I'm not... mad."

"Your not?"

"Of course not." She gave a weak smile. "How could I ever be mad at you, Dip?"

A smile of his own had appeared, and he reached a hand out. "That's great. So you can all just stay here... You don't need to worry about the outside."

Mabel paused. "No, Dip... We can't. You know that. We can't just hide, we need to take the fight to Bill."

His eyes hardened instantly, and he brought his hand back. "You really... think you could beat him?"

"If we all worked together, I'm sure we-"

Dipper cut her off suddenly. "You'll die! If you try, he'll just click his fingers and kill you! There is no fighting Bill, Mabel. There is only losing. Even in the sort time I went up against him, I know. He's too powerful in physical form. If I could even touch him, what hope do you have?"

"But..."

"Please. It would be best if you all just forgot about the outside. Bill won't bother us in here." He looked over at Ford, his eyes narrowing slightly before straightening. "I'm even willing to overlook all of Ford's behaviour, if you all stay. I can't bare the thought of you all going out there to die."

But it was now Mabel's turn to shout. "No. We can't just give up! Dip... What happened to you? I know you, you won't back down from a fight!"

"But I did when Gideon took over the shack. We both did. After we'd used up all the options to get it back and failed, we gave up, ready to go back home."

"We were different back then, that was more than a month ago!"

That generated a slight smirk. "We were, weren't we?"

"Listen, if you don't want us all to get hurt, then what about Grunkle Stan, or Soos? They're still out there doing who knows what. They could be dead for all I know! But I came here to find you, instead of using that valuable time to find them." She gritted her teeth in slight anger. "Are you telling me all this was for nothing!?"

"There's nothing you can do. You want me to leave, but I can't. I mentally _can't_. I'm not strong enough."

 _No, I know Dipper. He just thinks he can't. He's strong, he just doesn't know it._ "If you just listen to me for a second-"

He cut her off again. "If you want to leave, then fine. I won't stop you. It would hurt me even more to know I was forcing you to remain."

"Please... Don't make me..." _He's too far, I can't reach him. No! He won't listen to me. If he just talks to me for just a second..._

Wendy stepped up to help Mabel. "Dipper, she's right. Gravity Falls is in trouble, we all need to fight to protect it."

Dipper practically ignored her, finally turning his attention to Ford, who had been quite the whole time. "And what about you? Are you going to agree, say something like 'It's a danger, so we best just leave it be.'" His eyes were cold, glaring at the man.

Ford tired not to look the boy in the eyes as he thought. _That's something I'd say, isn't it? No. That's what I would say if it was still the same. But I've seen the truth._ "No. I completely agree with your reasoning."

Mabel and Wendy looked to him in alarm, with Dipper's features turning unsure, hesitant. "You... what?"

"I completely agree. I can tell that this whole thing must have been hard on you, and I'm not going to deny that my ignorance only served to add to your pain. If it was me... I would probably do the same." He paused for a second. "But, we all have the duty to protect this town, and everyone in it from Bill. It isn't the time to be selfish."

Dipper just stared at him, the cracks of lightening in the distance starting to become more frequent. He didn't know how to respond. _I'm being selfish?_

"For once... I agree with Ford. You... you are being selfish." Mabel spoke quietly at first, her voice rising as she spoke, growing close to tears.

"I'm being selfish?" Her brother questioned to himself slightly, before being to laugh. "Maybe I am... You're right, I am! But that doesn't change the fact that I can't go with you. No matter what you do. I can't leave this place and go back out there..."

"Just... please Dip. You need to try."

"Try, try?! Right now I am trying! Trying to bring myself to listen and decide that you are right! But I just can't!" He shouted at her mercilessly, gritting his teeth before he began to relax. "Go. Now. Go back to that nightmare. But if you do go up against Bill. He'll kill you. Don't go fighting a battle you know you can't win. Don't do that to me."

"But if you just come with us, I know we'll be able to win!"

"But I know we can't! Even if I helped, what could I do? I hardly know how to control my powers, let alone use them against Bill!" Dipper sighed. "Just... don't try. I've given up the fight, and you should too. I can open up a way back the real Gravity Falls, but if you take it, go back to the shack. You'll be safe there."

Ford frowned. "It could be destroyed by now, what use have we for it?"

"If it's destroyed, it's not from Bill's nightmare, I made sure of that. Before I fought Bill, I managed to put a sort of shield around the shack to protect it from Bill. If it's worked, then Bill can't harm you while your inside it. Please, all of you, go there and stay there if not here. It'll be the safest place in all that hell." Dipper stood away from them, turning round and walking further into the forest but waited for them to follow.

He walked them all a few more meters in, before reaching his hand out in front of him, hitting the invisible barrier. A sad smile came on his lips before he turned round to them. "Are you sure you won't stay?"

 _There has to be a way... I can't just leave him here! There has to be a way to convince him to leave, I need to make him see sense! Please Dip, why won't you listen?_ "I..." _I guess there's no why around it... Does that mean we came here for nothing?_ "I can't. We... can't."

Another long sigh as he looked at the ground. "Just... please be careful." Dipper turned back round the the barrier and concentrated on it. He was in control of this world, so it would do what he wanted. And what he wanted was for an exit to appear. He touched his hand to the barrier once more, and then dragged his hand down, causing a large black hole to form in front of him. It felt cold, looking kind of like a black hole.

He just looked at it, frozen for a minute, before stepping aside. "This is your way... home. Just... step through and it should take you out of here."

All three of them looked at him sadly, with Mabel desperately trying to think of a way to convince him to come with them. "I wish..."

"I wish too." Dipper said sadly, looking away from her and the others.

Wendy was the first to go, walking up to Dipper and punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Hang in there, alright?" She gave a small smile to him, before driving through the hole.

Ford was next, walking up to the whole, but pausing. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for all I did. Truly."

"Yeah, well... I.. believe you." But he turned away from the man, not wanting to talk to him any further before he stepped through the hole.

Now the only one left was Mabel, who was extremely hesitant to leave. "What are you waiting for?"

"I just... I don't want to leave you here. I want you to come with us."

"I want to... But..." The look on his face just told it all.

She gave a sigh, walking up to him and hugged him tightly, feeling a few tears drip down her face. "I'll... I'll stay safe, I swear. And then when it's all over and I'll come back for you. And then we'll leave together." She sniffled.

"We can dream." He murmured softly, before she pulled away from him and stepped towards the whole. "...Goodbye."

And then, she was gone, just like the others, and the hole rippled, mending back into the barrier.

It was just Dipper now, left all on his own.

With them gone, he couldn't keep it bottled up any longer, and he crumpled, falling to his knees. He looked up at the dark sky, before starting to cry. "Why... Why can't I just leave! I'm pathetic! Useless!"

Dipper shouted up into the sky. "I should have gone with them! I should be out there right now protecting them! But I'm too weak! I'm... I'm not strong enough! Is this what you wanted, Cipher!? Well you've got it! You've won!" He started to break down on the floor. "You've won..."


	55. Chapter 50 Departures And Reunions

**It's the 50th chapter. Just. Wow. We made it! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 50**

 _Departures And Reunions_

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd sat there, but he knew that some time had to have passed. The thunder and lightening had stopped, replaced by a steady downpour of rain to mirror his mood. Dipper was no longer angry, now he was just sad.

Soaking wet from the rain, he just kept looking up at the dark sky tears mixing with the rain that dripped onto his face. _Why... Why did this have to happen to me? What did I do... to deserve this?_ He felt numb, inside and out, as he sat in the rain and wondered what was happening to Mabel now. _Has Bill already found her? Or did she do as I hoped and gone to the shack?_ None of it mattered. It wasn't like he could do anything to help her, just sitting here on the muddy ground.

 ** _But that's just it, isn't it?_**

* * *

"I couldn't do it! I couldn't save him!" She was screaming, slamming her head against the cliff, her mind in turmoil.

"Kid, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Was all that for nothing!? Risking our lives to get to the bubble, just to fail!?" Slamming her head again, screaming.

"You need to quiet down, the eyeballs will hear you!"

She kept slamming and slamming, until all her energy drained away into sobbing. "I just... Why... Couldn't I save him..."

Ford could see the effect this was having on her, and he knew what it must be like for her. She and Dipper had just been like Ford and Stan when they were young. He knew how hard it was to be apart from your twin, or at least he had, before their relationship went sour. So he did something he didn't expect himself to do, he crouched down and wrapped his arms around her to try and comfort her. "This isn't your fault." He said quietly. "He's most likely having a tough time mentally. I think this is something... only he can figure out. Come on, if what the kid says is true, then we need to head to the shack.

Mabel sniffled, feeling like a baby from all the crying she'd done. "I... Okay... I guess your right. It's what... Dipper wants us to do. He's not here with us... But he wants us to be safe... Even you, Ford..."

Ford unwrapped his arms from her and gave her a small smile before Wendy looked around. "We best get moving then, we're right out in the open here and I'd rather not be turned to stone by some eyeballs things."

Her younger friend gave a small nod to her, eyes still red from crying. She looked over the nightmare that they're been put back in. It felt almost like a dream, but sadly, this was reality. It was Dipper who was in the dream right now, and she just hoped that soon he'd realise that.

* * *

Dipper had stayed there for a longer time, just... sitting. Until he finally forced himself to get up and began to wander. What could he do now? _With my memories back, I can't just continue like this never happened. I can't pretend this is the real world any more. Maybe I can take them again... No, I doubt I could do it a second time._ His hat was in his hands, soaked with water. He could barely see, his hair drenched and covering his hair as the rain continued to fall. **_And I thought Robbie was the gloomy one, not even going to cry some more?_**

He wandered aimlessly without purpose, no clear goal of where to go in his mind. He could go back to the shack, but he was sure that now the real Mabel had left, the fake one would turn up, and he could cope with looking at even a dream version of her. _Pathetic_ _... I am, aren't I?_ _ **Yep, couldn't have said it better myself.**_

Dipper felt cold, physically and mental as he trudged through the mud, coming across a stream that he remembered from the real world. _I remember, it's just like when I hurt Mabel. I ran, and now I'm at the same place I ended up there. Except this time there's no Bill._ _ **But strictly thats not true, is it?**_ There it was again. He'd ignored it at first, but now it was becoming more prominent.

He was used to talking to himself, he'd done it a lot, even back before he'd changed. It had been a good way to figure out a situation, since Mabel's answers were never serious and he could always count on himself to handle the situation. But this time it was strange. **_Don't call me strange, you're the ones who's strange._**

Glancing around slightly, he started to see if it wasn't in his head at all, if it was coming from outside of his mind. No, there was on one there. **_I can't believe you're going to sit here and wait for Mabel to die._** _What? No! She's going to go to the shack and she'll be safe!_

The voice was becoming more confident, and kind of annoying. **_Do you really believe that? Admit it, we both know that even if she does go there, it won't be for long. She's going to come out at some point and try and give him a fight. And we all know how that'll end._**

 _Maybe... Maybe she'll be able to do it. Maybe it is possible. **I doubt it. What happened the last time you went up against Bill? She would have probably gone insane with nightmares if you hadn't stepped in and showed her how to fight him. You know she can't do it without you. You can't break up a pair, right?**_

 _I'm guessing you're the pretty thick part of me then. Didn't you here, I'm too weak to leave this place. No matter how hard I try, I just can't will myself to leave. I'm too scared to go out there and fight. **No, no, that isn't it. There's another reason you're staying.** What? That's the reason! Why wouldn't I know my reason for staying? If not that, then what? _

**_What should I tell you? I'm just a voice in your head! Maybe you're inner thoughts trying to contact you or some such nonsense. You need to figure that detail out for yourself, then maybe I'll believe you really want to leave._**

Dipper was left confused and slightly annoyed, his own head had been talking to him like it was better than him! He shook his head slightly, before sighing and looking out across the stream, thinking about what it had said. _I'm too weak, thats the reason right? I'm not strong enough to conquer my fear of these powers and fight Bill. But it's something else. If not that, what?_

* * *

They'd been walking for hours, dodging into alleyways or any nooks they could find whenever a eye bat came flying over. So far they'd evaded detection, but they weren't going to risk staying still. They had to get to the shack as fast as possible.

And after so long, they found it. Mabel thought it was strange. Every other building they'd seen was either turned into a monster of some sort, or turned to rubble. The shack however, was still standing as it always was. _Is this because of the protection it has?_ She wondered to herself as they approached the building. "I can't believe we're back..." She murmured.

"Man, this is the first time I've ever felt happy coming to work." Wendy said with a smile, just as happy to finally have some refuge.

Ford looked around before walking up to the door. However soon he paused when the sound of scuffling within the house caught him of guard. "Somethings in there... Stay on guard." He unholstered his gun and prepared for a fight.

Wendy instantly went on guard, ready to start a fight. She didn't have her crossbow anymore, but she still had her fists.

Mabel tensed up slightly. _Could it be some monsters inside? Or demons? At least I know it's not Bill, I know that for sure. Maybe they'll be friendly? But just to be sure..._ She took her grappling hook out of her pocket, ready to fire it and hit someone or something in the face if she had to.

They all gave each other a nod, before Ford opened the door and they all stormed into the house together, ready for a fight.

But what they found inside was something Mabel, or any of them, hadn't expected.

"Kid?" Stan said, dropping his baseball bat almost as soon as he'd taking it up.

Mabel could barely breath. She just ran to him, dropping her grappling hook as she went and cried, "Grunkle Stan! I can't believe it's really you!"

"Kid, I was so worried. I thought I lost you!" He hugged her tightly back, feeling happiness flood him where despair had took root.

In the shack was Stan, along with Soos and so many others. As Mabel hugged him, so noticed some of the creatures of the town she recognised, and some she'd never encountered before. They all looked like they'd had a hard time. Some were even half turned to stone like a unicorn that looked like it needed a hug.

Stan was so happy... And then Wendy came and slammed into Stan, joining in on the hug. "We missed you, you old codger!"

He gave a chuckle. "I've missed you knuckleheads too. It's good to have you back." _I can't believe they're here. Wendy, Mabel and..._ He broke off from the hug, looking at Ford, before tackling him.

"Where is Dipper? I swear if you've done anything..." He said through gritted teeth as he pinned his brother against the wall. Ford didn't offer any fight or even a reply, he was silent.

Mabel was the one to defend him, quickly tugging at Stan. "It's okay! Grunkle Stan, Ford's okay... We... We couldn't find Dipper. Ford actually helped me."

Stan froze, looking at her before relaxing. "Sorry kid... It's just... With that triangle on the loose I just thought that... He'd be here too, you know? I thought you too would be together and if you weren't..." His eyes narrowed at Ford slightly before backing away from him, rubbing the back of the neck. "But I'm glad you're here at least."

The air still felt tense, so Mabel asked him, "What happened here? Why are you all camped out here?"

Stan sighed, before looking around at the sad and scared survivors. "Welcome to home base, it's what's left of normal around here."

"How'd this all happen?"

"So I was having a yell at Ford after he came up out of his lair in a fuss about you stealing something. But then I heard strange sounds from outside, so naturally I went out to look. The sky was starting to vomit nightmares, and I listened to a lot of AM radio, so I knew what it meant: the end of the world. Naturally I took a run for it, but after about an hour realised it would be better to stay inside the shack. Ford was nowhere to be seen, but I could care less about him so I just hid inside. But I didn't expect the shack to be invincible to weirdness after the totem started to attack it."

Mabel couldn't help but smile. "That was Dipper! He used his powers to protect the house from Bill's magic."

Stan looked at her, slightly surprised but continued. "Well, he's good for something, atleast." He gave a small chuckle, before sighing and pointed over to Old Man McGucket, who looked a lot more sane than the last time Mabel had seen him. "After that, Possum Breath over here showed up leading a bunch of injured stragglers through the forest. They needed a place to stay and since the mayor got captured, I elected myself de facto chief. The plan now is to stay in here and eat brown meat until we run out, then... I vote we eat the gnomes."

 _Thats.. the plan? Dipper would want me to agree and just hide out in here with them... But there's a part that can't help but want to fight._ "Grunkle Stan, we can't all just hide inside the Shack. There's a town in need of saving. Are you really just going to let Bill win?"

"Look, Kid. Going up against an all powerful space demon would be the worst idea for any of us right now. We're better just sticking here. Trust me, it's going to be all right here."

 _No, I know what Stan's doing. He's sparing me the details that if we stayed here, we'd all die. Sooner or later, we'd run out of food and water and die. It's as simple as that. So what we have to do is fight. Dipper... I'm sorry. But we can't just sit here and wait. I'm not sure if I'd be able to do it without you, but now that I've found Stan and many other survivors, it might be possible. I just hope that you'll believe it to._


	56. Chapter 51 Time To Fight

**Chapter 51**

 _Time To Fight_

* * *

 ** _Still going to try and continue this false fantasy?_**

There it was, a constant burden in his mind. Dipper had sat by the stream for about an hour, trying to get some peace as he thought to himself. But that hadn't been very easy, with that voice constantly beating him up about how he was staying, making him feel even worse than how he'd started.

 _Can't you just leave me alone? Can't you see that I feel bad already? **Well, of course I do, I am you after all. But what right do you have for peace? Mabel's out there in a nightmare, and you're sitting pretty? I don't think so. Are you really that selfish?**_

It made him angry, on the edge of furious. Seriously, what did this voice think it was?! _Stop talking! Just do it! What do you know? How do I know you're not Bill trying to torture me for my choice? You sure do sound like him now that I think about it._

 ** _Well, that's actually kinda funny how you compare me to him. But I'm not. I'm just that little voice in your head that wants you to do what's best for you, and for everyone you care about._**

Dipper gave a long sigh, before getting up. Staying in the same spot wasn't going to do anything to calm his mood. Maybe a walk would be better? _**Think about it for a second, why do you really want to stay here? You say stuff like 'Bill's too powerful to fight', and 'I can't bare to face my fate'. But thats not really the reason.**_

He rolled his eyes, just wishing the voice would shut up. What did it think it would accomplish? Dipper knew that he should be out there, he knew that he'd practically sent Mabel and the others to their demise by deserting them, and it killed him inside. That he was that much of a coward. _I don't understand what you're getting at. I already know all this you talk about. I know I'm pathetic for abandoning them, can we just accept that? And stop talking about a different reason for doing it! It doesn't matter why I did it, all that matters is that I did do it, and I can never leave this place._

The voice didn't respond for the longest of times, filling Dipper with hope that he'd shut it up, that it was finally gone from his mind. But then it spoke something... odd. **_It's me._**

The shear bluntness of what it had just said caught him off guard, what was that even suppose to mean? _What?_ There was another silence, but it wasn't as long this time. **_The reason. I just figured it out. You're afraid of something, and it's me._**

Dipper froze in his tracks, a slight smile coming to his lips as he laughed. _You? Seriously? Why would I be scared of my own mind, and more so, why would I stay here because of it?_

 ** _Because I'm the part that you don't want to accept._** He stopped laughing instantly, the smile vanishing. No. That was impossible. He was free from all of Bill's energy here. It had no effect on him. So this... _thing_ had to be some trick his own mind was playing. _**You know, calling me a thing makes you sound a whole lot like Ford. Come on, you don't really believe I'm lying, do you? The physical signs might not be visible whole, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a demon. That you're not human. But deep down you know that, don't you? That's why its not the true reason for staying. You're so scared of me. You're scared of Alcor.**_

As a reflex, he instantly lashed out, punching a tree and making his knuckles ache. His eyes were wide, breathing hard. Why was this voice affecting him so much? It wasn't real, just a voice in his head. Snap out of it! But he couldn't. "Alcor doesn't exist! It's just a name, nothing more! So don't treat it like it's a person!" He shouted up into the heavens, almost forgetting the voice was in his head and wasn't some voice mocking him from above.

 ** _True, I doubt I could truly call myself Alcor, you're Alcor. But I guess I might be a part of the demon in you. I wasn't really that pronounced before, but remember when the portal was going to activate? I may have been screaming a bit there. And what about before that! All those nasty voices in your head... Fine, I'm not Alcor, but I might as well be. You're scared of me. Of the demon part of you. Not the powers, you actually quite enjoy them, but the mental part of it all. You're terrified of what you think you'll become in the future, of who you'll become. You can't bare to go out there because you think that if you do you'll become just like every other demon. You'll become what you fear._**

Dipper sank to the ground. He was right. The whole thing was true. He wished it wasn't, but he was just so... scared. At first he'd thought it was the whole fact of being inhuman, of having such unnatural power. But it was mental aspect that terrified him so much. _What would this do to me? How would it change my outlook on the world around me?_ He'd thought about stuff like that, but it had never really sunk in. Like what if he started to think of Mabel and his friends as nothing more than pawns to trick and lie too, just like Bill? Or what if he just ended up trying to kill them instead, like other demons he couldn't remember the names of.

 ** _But do you realise how stupid that mindset is? You're not like them, for the pure reason that you were human. They don't have the experiences you have, so care about those around you and want to see them safe. All they see is humans to play around with and mock. Do you honestly believe that becoming one of them will override what you've already learned. No! Even if you're body is a demon now, you still have a human mind. Sure, a little demon influence might creep in, but it'll never replace that part of you that sets you apart, not if you believe it won't. So stop worrying about what might happen, and worry about what will if you stay here!_**

Dipper fell against the tree, his body trembling as he clutched his ears. _Please stop, I don't need to hear any more. Please... Just leave me alone._ But it continued without mercy, though he expected no less from a demon. **_Everyone you care about will die. Bill isn't going to show them any mercy, you know that. So stop crying like a wimp and fight for once! Sure Bill beat you and stuck you in here, but that was because he caught you off guard. Are you really going to give up after one fight? This time, he won't be expecting you! You can be the one to catch him off guard, right in the eye!_**

He looked to the ground, giving a sigh. All that 'Alcor' said was the truth, no matter how much Dipper hated it. But it did make so much sense what he said. Maybe he had given up prematurely, maybe... maybe he did have a chance against Bill. Maybe even more than a chance. **_You know I'm right. Bill thinks you can't handle all this, so lets teach him that he's dead wrong about Dipper Pines._**

* * *

They were going to do it. They were going to fight back against Bill's takeover. It had looked like there was no way that they could do anything to get the hopes of the survivors up, until none other than Old Man McGucket had stepped up to talk of a way they could probably stand a fight against him with.

The shack was protected completely from Bill and his weirdness, so if they remained in it while they fought, Bill would be the one without power. But they'd also need to take out all of his minions as well.

Dipper hadn't said anything about the spell protecting the shack from all demons, it had just been Bill. So they couldn't relay on a slight hope that it would apply to every demon they encountered.

And after everyone's spirits were heightened by the plan Mabel, Wendy, Ford and McGucket forged, soon the whole shack was for going on the offensive. All but one. Stan.

 _This is a complete waste of time. We'd be better of sticking here and protecting what we have left. I couldn't bare if anything happened to Mabel, or Wendy and Soos for that matter._ He looked forward towards were Ford was discussing the plans with McGucket.

The two had made amends pretty quickly, becoming great friends again soon after the old man forgave Ford. They worked extremely well together, forging ahead with constructing the building plans for... whatever they were building. For the first time, Ford actually looked happy.

Mabel skipped around, feeling on the moon as she continued to hype every ones spirits up with cheers and chants. _We're going to do this. Bill will regret messing with the residents of Gravity Falls._ She gave a smile as they worked, watching as the shack changed, becoming something that they'd use to take back the town.

* * *

Bill was not happy, in fact, he was furious. Gideon had turned against him like the little brat he was, actually thinking that he and his pathetic group stood a chance against him. Now he was kept in a cage like the little pig he was, and his friends were now just another part of his throne. _I guess I have some comfort for this whole thing, I get to watch him dance until his legs break._ A slight laugh escaped him.

After Gideon and his friends attack and defeat, 8 Ball had come running to him, telling of how Mabel, Ford and Wendy had gotten into Pine Tree's bubble. He'd laughed it off, knowing that there was all but no danger of anything happening. It might have actually gotten a few annoyances out of the way. Pine Tree was going to remain in that trap no matter who came to get him, not even his own sister could convince him to step out!

And his thoughts had been proved true after they reported that the three had come out of the bubble empty handed, no sign of the boy to be seen. It was all going according to plan, nothing out of place and nothing he hadn't already predicted. But it was starting to get boring just sitting here watching as they caught the stranglers. _Maybe it's time to move this party to the rest of the world? This town is all but destroyed, so what fun when I turn the rest of the world upside down too!_

But then, almost out of nowhere, he heard a thundering roar of a... t-rex? as it's head came crashing through the side of the fearamid. A cry of alarm sprang from the demon as he looked to the site of the attack. Now there was a gaping hole in the side of his fearamid, ruining it's look and making Bill flare red with anger. He floated quickly out of the the hole and looked out to see what had attacked and he was quite surprised.

It was the mystery shack, made into a large combat robot.


	57. Chapter 52 Attack!

**Chapter 52**

 _Attack!_

* * *

It was a sight to behold, the survivors were actually trying to fight back! Bill couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the amalgamation of different parts all contacted to the shack.

"So the mortals are trying to fight back, huh?" The demon said with a voice full of humour. _They don't stand a chance._ "Adorable!"

He glanced to his friends, 8 Ball, Kryptos and Teeth. But there was also some new faces among the crew. A demon comprised of a snake with an anglerfish's head and large bat wings named Hunter, and also one that seemed to be made of a number of multicoloured cubes coming together to form a humanoid form, called Cuboy. Bill had become quite popular after opening the gateway to this world.

He clicked his fingers and all of the demons started to grow in size. "Henchmaniacs, you know what to do! Take them out!" He laughed hysterically, waiting excitedly for the onslaught to occur, he wondered which of them would bite the bullet first.

The demons launched at the shack, Hunter and 8 Ball going straight for the shack, but one of it's arms came swinging for them, knocking them away.

From inside, all of the survivors were cheering, they were going to win! They had too! With spirits as high as these, who could stop them? Mabel was grinning, before yanking a lever that sent cannonballs firing all around at the demons, preventing any from getting close.

A dozen eyebats had joined the party, swarming the shack and trying to get at those inside. But they were prepared for that, the gobblewonker tail they'd attatched the back starting to snap at them, taking out a few. While Wendy climbed from the roof down onto one of them, causing it to fire instinctively in the process, turning the head of 8 Ball to stone.

She then forced it to fly around, freezing the remaining eyebats and smashing them to pieces, before she jumped back into the shack from the bat, leaving it to get eaten by the gobblewonker.

But they couldn't get sidetracked by this small victory, as Cuboy was charging right for them, morphing its cube body into a large bull and was hurtling at full speed at the shack.

Multibear quickly alerted everyone on board, causing a few to panic, but all grabbed onto something, except for Stan, show was grabbing for the door out to the shack, which was shut tight. "Does this thing have an escape hatch?" He said in a panic.

Mabel gritted her teeth as the hit came, the impact sending everyone into a slight frenzy as they tightened their hold on a beam, or table, or whatever they were holding onto for dear life. The shack was standing its ground, slowly starting to slow the demon down, before it came to a stop. "Everyone, Maximum power!" She screamed, as Sev'ral Timez started to run faster and faster on treadmills to add extra power, with Ford quickly using all the power to make the robot grab hold of the bull, throwing it far into the distant where it scattered into thousands of cubes. They made quick work of the last one remaining, Kryptos, who was snatched up by the t-rex arm and thrown to the floor.

All of the demons were defeated. They'd did it. They'd won. Everyone shouted their praises of winning the battle, wondering what they'd been scared of before. They'd taken them out with ease, they just had to save the petrified civilians now.

* * *

"Guys, seriously? You had, like, one job to do here." Bill said from inside the pyramid, sighing in annoyance. Were they really that weak? Now he understood why the others had left him, he'd been stuck with a bunch of weaklings! Even the ones that had just now joined were weak. Pathetic! "If you want a job done right, you better do it your self. Let's get this over with."

He turned himself large and 3-dimensional, before floating out of the fearamid and to the shack, cutting off their celebrations. They'd forgotten about Bill.

But Mabel wasn't afraid, she trusted what Dipper had said, so Bill couldn't hurt them. And then Bill's hand came crashing down on the shack.

But nothing happened. The shield had worked. It was a complete sphere surrounding the shack, and Bill couldn't penetrate it. They were safe, Bill couldn't scare them any more.

Needless to say, Bill wasn't too pleased when he didn't see the crushed remains of the robot beneath his fist when he lifted it. There was a glowing sphere of power protecting the shack, and it made him furious. _They should all be dead right now! All just ants crushed beneath me!_

"No! No! No! No! No!" He screamed, growing ten more arms and began to continuously bash at the shack, to no avail.

It just got worse for him, when the T-rex head lunged at him, biting into his eye and ripped it out, causing him to scream as black blood dripped from where his eye had one been. "My eye! Do you have any idea how long it takes to regenerate that?" He clutched at the hole devoid of an eye, making him effectively blind for the time.

Mabel kept herself calm, now they could get into the pyramid and save their friends, just like they'd planned. Mabel, Stan, Ford, Soos, Wendy and Pacifica all readied themselves for what they were about to do. She was still surprised that Pacifica wanted to come along, but she wanted to save her parents, and Mabel didn't harbour any ill will to her, so she could come along.

They all had parachutes made from Mabel's old sweaters at the ready, and soon they were all fired right out of the gobblewonker's mouth in the direction of the fearamid. A few of them screamed, specifically Stan and Pacifica, while Ford looked ahead intently and Mabel took the time to do cartwheel through the air before they all opened the parachutes and landed in Bill's lair, before all taking off their gear and looking around.

It was worse than what Mabel had imagined at first. She could see all of the missing people frozen into statues, and whats worse, they were all stacked into a throne. She rushed up to the huge chair first and looked desperately for a way to break them all free. "How are we going to unfreeze them?" She wondered outloud, just for a voice to catch her off guard with a reply.

"I know!"

Mabel and the others looked up at the source, gasping when they saw Gideon hanging high above them. He looked incredibly stressed, music played that he was dancing too, but it looked forced. "Gideon! What happened to you?" She asked, slightly shocked to see that after their last meeting, Bill hadn't turned him to stone with the rest.

"Bill captured me. He's been forcing me to do cute dances in this cage for all eternity." He was sobbing now, looking so uncompressed and unlike himself. "I'm so tired of being cute!"

"How do we undo this?" She asked, getting right to the point, they'd be able to save him after they got the rest of them free.

"Tyler. He's the load bearing human. Pull him out, and the whole thing goes down."

Ford looked at the boy above them with slight disbelief, but decided to give it a shot, walking up the man that Mabel pointed out and pulled at him arm. Almost unbelievably, Tyler turned back to normal, and with him no longer there to hold the rest up, it set off a chain reaction, causing the chair to collapse. And as it did, all of the people returned to normal just like him. Along with all this, the collapsing chair hit Gideon's cage and knocked it down, breaking it and setting Gideon free.

All of the people were groaning, dizzy and disoriented for a few moments, before everyone reunited with each other. Wendy hugged her father and brothers, feeling so happy to see them again, and Pacifica hugged her family as well. Everything felt so right, they'd won the first stage.

"Now, lets get all outta here, huh?" Stan said impatiently, and they all started to rush back out to the opening in the fearamid and saw what was happening outside.

Bill had regenerated his eye, and had furiously continued to try and get a hit in on the robot shack, though nothing was working for him. He was red and blazing, angry that he couldn't do anything to this human made contraption. The shack hit him and forced him to the ground, holding him there. The demon struggled, trying to find a way to get the upper hand, and then suddenly he noticed something. The sphere protecting the shack went around the shack, leaving the legs and the lower parts of the arms exposed, vunerable. "What the..." He murmured to himself, before laughing. This reminded him a lot of a greek story he'd heard once.

"Hey, Achilles! Nice work with the heel!" He said, stopping his attempt to push the robot off, and grabbed hold of it's leg and pulled, using all of his strength to rip it off. He could practically hear the cries of alarm coming from those inside the shack, and he grinned as he pushed the shack off of himself in their moment of panic. Bill was on his feet, laughing and lifted the leg up. _If I can't touch this hunk of junk, then I'm sure this can! So..._ "Fore!" He screamed as he hit the robot with it's leg like it was a golf ball, sending the whole thing rolling away.

The demon kept laughing hysterically before floating after it. Even if he couldn't get at it with his own powers, he sure has hell could bash it up with it's own limbs! This was going to be fun...

* * *

Mabel gasped in horror. _He'd damaged it... He'd found a weakness..._ It hadn't occurred to her at all at first that the limbs could have been unprotected, but now it seemed obvious. What could they do now?

"Once he's finished with them, he'll come after us. We need to move, now! I don't want to be his next trophy." Stan gritted his teeth and looked down through the hole to see how long the drop was.

Some of them started to panic, while others were just deathly silent. "Grunkle Ford? What about you?" Mabel bit her lip nervously as she looked to her other uncle. Over the last few days, she'd come to trust him a lot more than she had done before, especially since his apparent change of heart concerning Dipper. He'd have to know something, right?

But all she got was silence from him, he looked lost in thought, like he'd suddenly remembered something. "Ford? Ford!" She cried, finally getting a response out of him. He looked down to her.

"I think I know a way-"

A shadow was suddenly cast over all of them, and their eyes widened as Bill looked at them through the hole in the fearamid, behind him was a torn up shack, arms and legs torn off and the shack itself was battered into oblivion, they could only pray those inside had got out safe.

"Oh no, it's Bill, Right? Isn't that what you're all thinking?" He laughed when he saw the fear on all their faces. "This is just too perfect! Did you brainiacs actually think that you could take me out with that junkpile? I don't know how you put a protection spell around it, but you won't be doing it again any time soon. In fact, I doubt you'll be doing anything soon."

This was it. They were all going to die. Mabel could see it on Bill's face, he had had enough of their games and wasn't going to toy with them anymore. He was ready to get rid of them all, right there and then.

But before he even had a chance to do anything, a blinding false of blue light caused everyone to close their eyes. What they heard of a shriek coming from Bill, similar to how he'd sounded when they'd torn out his eye. "How did... Who did..." They could hear him growl in fury.

Mabel was the first to open her eyes, and what she saw shocked her. There was a burning great hole going right through Bill's head, completely destroying his eye and causing him to bleed once more. _But how did..._ The blue light was behind them now, so whatever had caused Bill's distress was in here with them.

Ford was first this time, looking round and going stiff, and soon Mabel knew why.

It was a demon, completely enveloped in a blue flame, crouched low to the ground after landed, leaving a sorched path leading from Bill to where it was. _It... flew right through Bill?_ She was shocked at first, but soon that shock turned to amazement, and a sort of joy.

It wasn't any old demon that had attacked him. It was her demon. It was Dipper. Though there was something off about him, something that Mabel hadn't seen before.

He had wings.

* * *

 **I've been up to a lot lately, so I'm extremely sorry if this looked rush. Also, I'm terrified for the next few chapters, mostly because it's going to involve a fight (obviously), and many of you are expecting some awesome incredible thing that I just can't provide. If there's anything I'm terrible at writing, it's fight scenes. (Probably why you haven't seen any RWBY fanfictions from me...) Just... don't expect anything incredible, alright?**

 **And thank you all for all the anime suggestions, however we must all think alike, because most of them I'd already seen! Though a few of them I hadn't heard of yet and took a look at, so thanks for all your help. ;) Haha. I also decided to take the trek of watching fairy tail, which has a lot of episodes (though not as much as one piece...). Currently on episode 110 and damn it's getting good! But you didn't come here to see me babble.**

 **And besides anime, I also watched something that I was surprised was popular at first. A little thing called Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Like.. holy moly was this unexpected! I was really confused as to why this was getting so much love because it looked like a young kids cartoon, like disney junior level. But nope! I haven't seen a good superhero cartoon in a while, so this was a welcome addition. Especially Adrien. God I love him a lot. I hope I'm not alone here.**


	58. Chapter 53 Draining Strength

**I literally have no excuse for this. I'm just... so sorry.**

* * *

 **Chapter 53**

 _Draining Strength_

* * *

Mabel ran for her brother. There was nothing else to think, nothing else to do. Dipper was back and here with them, and that's all she cared about. She watched as he regained his footing from his landing, the flames draining away to nothing. To which she quickly grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you're here. How?"

He returned her embrace as soon as she touched him, wrapping his own arms around her, not even realising that his wings had wrapped around her as well. He was having trouble controlling them. "Let's just say... a little voice show me how stupid I was being."

She smiled at him, only just managing to keep herself from crying. "So, what about..." The girl glanced to his wings, giving him a curious grin.

"Another improvement, I guess. Late growth? It was bad enough I had teeth and eyes to contend with. Now I have wings? What are they even for? I could already fly, well, float anyway." Dipper gave a grunt of annoyance as the wings pulled away from Mabel and flapped themselves beyond his control. He looked to her, feeling so happy that they were together again, but there was still... "Mabel. We need to act quickly..."

He was right. As much as she wanted to ignore it, Bill wasn't finished yet. The demon was floating, thrashing around as he clutched the hole that had use to be his eye. The power of the blast from Dipper had caused the regeneration to become a lot slower, though in a couple of minutes he would still be capable to kill them all again. They had to act fast.

Stan and Ford rushed to the kids, one with a smile on his face, the other looking nervous and somewhat unsure. The con man quickly joined in on their hug for a moment, glad to have both his niece and nephew back now. Ford was hesitant, however. The slight of the kid like that still unnerved him. But.. he knew. This was Dipper Pines, it wasn't a demon pretending to be him. This was what had happened to him because of Bill Cipher.

Now how could they defeat Bill? There was that thought in the back of his head. But it couldn't possibly be right, could it? Seeing all of them here, he knew for sure it had to help them. Glancing around, he tried to find something to use... And he soon found a spray can lying on the floor. It had to have come from one of the newly unfrozen civilians. He picked it up, and soon began to spray a circle on the ground.

The three family members pulled away from each other soon after, noticing what he was doing, just as he'd finished drawing the circle. Dipper recognised it instantly. It was something Bill had shown him during one of his lessons, it was his summoning circle. But why would Ford be during it now, Bill was right there! He didn't need to use it to summon him, all they had to do was wait a little longer...

"Ford... What are you doing?" Stan said with a frown as he walked towards him. "We don't have time to mess around. Everyone needs to get out of here now!"

"If you listen for a moment, Stanley. I might have a way to save all of us." Ford said, slightly impatiently. "Years ago I found a prophecy, these ten symbols in a cave. Some I recognised then, some only now. The native people of Gravity Falls prophesied that these symbols could create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill. With him defeated, the weirdness will disappear and the town will be saved. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but it's got me thinking. When I see you all together now..." He pointed at Mabel. "The shooting star."

She hesitated for a moment, before stepping onto the space with her symbol.

Dipper looked around at the symbols, his head already connecting the dots to who could be the other nine symbols.

They worked quickly, Dipper to the Pine Tree, as well as Wendy, McGucket, Pacifica, Gideon, Ford, Robbie, Soos to the other symbols.

The only one left was the symbol that Dipper recognised from Stan's fez, it had to be him.

All of the other people there had already ran away, not wanting to be there when Bill had finished regenerating his eye. He seemed completely oblivious to what was going on around him, focusing his energy on his regeneration.

Ford looked to Stan, who was looking away from them. "Stanley, got over here! You're the only one left."

His twin gave him an annoyed look. "You realise this is a bunch of hogwash, right? You really think some caveman graffiti is gonna stop that monster?"

"Come on, Grunkle Stan! This will work!" Mabel gave him a hopeful smile.

The man looked at her for a second, grunting as he stepped forward, but he didn't join the circle.

Ford's look that he gave him was desperate. "Help me fix this, please."

"Fine. Just do one thing. Say thank you."

"What?"

"I spent thirty years trying to bring you back into this dimension and what do I get a thanks? You try to hurt my great nephew, call me great niece crazy, and don't even give me a thank you! You want me to be a part of this, say sorry for everything you've done, and say thank you to me."

Ford was the one to look annoyed now, but he secretly knew he was in the wrong. "Fine. I'm sorry for my actions. And thank you for saving me."

"See? Was that so hard?" Stan grunted, before stepping up and taking his hand, while all the rest started to join hands.

As soon as they did, a energy started to buzz around them. "This is a human energy circuit." Ford explained quickly, only realising that one person hadn't joined hands yet. Dipper. "Kid, what's wrong?"

He looked hesitant, unsure. "I'm... not human anymore. How do we know this will work with me?"

"You're part of the circle, Dip. It has your hat on it! It'll work, I promise." Mabel said kindly to her brother, and without a second thought, he linked hands.

* * *

This regeneration was taking forever! It was infuriating, he was so close to destroying them... and then... _Him._ At first he was confused at first, but the burning pain was familar to him. And he soon recognised it as his flames. And there was only one person who could wield Bill's own blue flames. But how did he get out? Bill had been sure that the kid wouldn't have the strength to leave his dream, but here he was...

The demon shut off most of his senses, so he could speed up the regeneration by a mile, but even then it was taking a while. Who knew that his own flames affected him worse than any other attack he'd witnessed? But now he was ready.

Blinking his eye once, he turned back to the humans to finish them off, but he noticed something. They were standing in a circle. A circle he recognised instantly.

It didn't take him long to realise what they were doing, and he didn't get a chance to yell before the energy exploded from the circle, trapping him in it's stream. He screamed in anger, struggling to move, let alone kill them.

* * *

It was working! Bill was starting to look weak, shrinking in size with every second as the circle syphoned away his energy. Soon, if the circle didn't finish him off, they could easily send him screaming back into the void. There was determined smile on Dipper's face as he kept a tight hold on McGucket's and Wendy's hands. But... something was wrong.

He watched Bill's energy drain, but he hadn't noticed that it wasn't just the triangles energy being sapped. It was his as well. From a logical standpoint, it made sense. This circle was meant to destroy Bill, and Dipper technically had a part of Bill in him now. He had a portion of his power, so why wouldn't it affect him?

Dipper watched as his face turned from determination to weakness, and Mabel could see it two.

"Dipper?" She said with worry over the roar of the energy.

He didn't even get a chance to hear her though, he'd already started dropping to the floor, letting go of the hands and breaking the circuit.

The sapping cut off almost instantly, making Dipper slightly relieved as he lay on the floor, trying to salvage the energy he still had. The sapping had had a definite effect on Dipper, but when he glanced across from where he lay to Bill, he noticed it hadn't taken as much from him as it had from Bill.

The demon was on the floor, breathing heavily as he struggled to start floating again. He was about the size he had been when Dipper first met him, human sized, and a lot less frightening. And he looked mad. Really mad.

Stan and Mabel were rushing to Dipper, pulling him to his feet. "Kid, you alright?"

Dipper nodded his head as it stopped spinning, feeling strong enough to stand. Now that he thought about it, not really much energy had been taken, it had been more of the realisation of it that had caused him to drop. "Y-yeah. I'm fine, Grunkle Stan. Just felt.. a bit weak. I think the circle took a toll on me, since... you know."

The two understood what he meant, staying by him to make sure he was really okay, even as Bill started to laugh.

"Did you... really think that I'd be taken out so easily!?" The demon's voice started low, quickly gaining volume as he rose from the floor, turning red with rage and flames burning in his hands. "That really is cute."

 _He's weak.. Even though he's trying to hide it. Me and him might be on the same level now. I could take him._ Dipper thought to himself. _But can I risk it? If I fail... he'll kill them all this time. I won't be able to step in at the last second like before._

While he was lost in thought, Mabel put her hands to his shoulders, talking quickly, her voice low. "Make a deal with me."

Dipper's eyes snapped to her instantly. "What?"

"You heard me, make a deal, quick! I've seen how it makes you stronger."

"But Mabel, do you know how dangerous that is?"

"No more dangerous than dealing with Bill. Relax, it's not going to be a bad deal. Trust me!"

Mabel was right. But... Dipper was still reluctant to make a deal. However, so much as at stake right now. "Okay."

"Great!" Mabel stepped away from him, holding out her hand. "I'll give you a lifetime supply of sprinkles if you defeat Bill."

That deal was... Mabel. Pure and simple. He couldn't help but smile as he shook her hand, his flame lighting up for a second as the deal was struck.

Dipper almost instantly felt that buzz, that surge of energy that filled him with life. He grinned, lighting up both his flames as he walked past her, right up to Bill.

Stan blinked. "Kid! Wait!" But Mabel grabbed him by the arm, reassuring him that they knew what they were doing.

Ford was standing in shock at what was happening around him.

Bill was still laughing, grinning at the terrified faces before him. He was almost sad to destroy them all. But one such face was stepping up to him, daring to challenge him. "Oh... Pine Tree, Pine Tree. Are you brave all of a sudden? Come to face the big bad monster?" He chuckled before narrowing his eyes at the boy. "Who do you think you are?"

Dipper looked him dead in the eye, giving a small laugh of his own as his fingertips blacked to the colour of midnight, the decay travelling up his arms, down his legs and ending at the top of his head, glowing brick patterns emerging as he turned to his full demon form.

"W̷̙̬̟̺̘̯h̰̫̞̗̘͓̦̀͡y̸̭͍̻͙͇̫̭̟͘͟,̧̨͕̮̱͓̺̬̕ ̦̘̙̝͚͓̞̯͟d̘͚̥͚̦̤̣͎o̰̟̣̲͇̣̖̞͇͡n͏͈̤̘͜'̼̣͎̤̻̀͡t̸̡̝͇ ̡̩̙̯͔y̛̯̯͚͙ò̤̮̰̦̬͔͝u͕̮̳͖̘͇͖ ̫r̡̛̥͚e̢̺̦̪͕̬̱͝m͈̖͖͝e̼̜͓̣͙͚̲͖̼̕͘ḿ̢̮͔̞̙̝̤͉́b͏̖̖͇͎̜̣̲̩̱͞e͏͕̼̫̝͕͈͖̥r̘̰̮͓͇̳͟?͈̩̤̬ ̢͏̰̤̜̬̱̪͝I̟̱̻̮̗͇͡͞t̯'͖͈̩̮̘̯́ͅş̨͕͚͈̥̦̞̻͟ ̸͇m͕͚̜̗̘̯̲ẹ̕,͚͙͎̣̼̦̫̲̟ ̴̢̼̺͉̙̻̖̤ͅA̹̤̜̬ĺ͎̞̙̩c̙̪̤͢͜o̷̷͙̩̙̘̝͚͢r͍̪̫͔̞̞̥͠.͍̗" He said with a crooked smile.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

* * *

(In order of appearance)

"Why, don't you remember? It's me, Alcor.

* * *

 **Remember when I use to update every week, and if I didn't I let you know about it? Yeah... I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for this... 3, or 4 week break. I don't even have a valid excuse for you. I could use the excuse of my exams getting me down, or some junk like that, but no, I'm going to be brutally honest. I just couldn't be bothered.**

 **You heard me. I had absolutely no motivation to continue this story whatsoever and probably would never have returned to it if not for the fact that I don't want to leave this story undone. With it so close to the finish line, it would be pathetic of me to leave it stranded. So I'm going to continue, and I hope you guys will keep coming along for the ride, no matter how unpredictable and stupid the driver is.**

 **Just... don't expect reliable updates, alright? I can't trust myself to update every week anymore. Not until all the exams are over atleast. I will finish this story, no matter what happens. It just might take a bit of time.**


	59. Chapter 54 Underestimating Threats

**I'm here with a rare update! Yay!**

* * *

 **Chapter 54**

 _Underestimating Threats_

* * *

Bill didn't know why he had a sudden feeling of dread building inside of him, after all, it was just Pine Tree! Just a stupid kid who thought he would even stand a chance. However... Right now the triangle felt like he was in the presence of another demon. It wasn't like the times when Bill had been in his company in the Nightmare Realm, there he just felt like the child he always was. But here... Right now... They felt like equals. And Cipher couldn't stand that.

"You don't scare me, kid. All you are is talk. You don't even know how to control your powers!" He laughed slightly, trying to hide that small amount of fear in himself. "Face it, I'm stronger than you and you know it! I'll turn you to dust right where you stand."

That same unnatural smile was on his face as the boy replyed, crossing his arms. "Ḑ̕o̵n'͢͠͡t̷ ̧̀͡y͜o̶u̸ ̴̡ḿ͜é̵a̵n̴ ̸̢'wh̶̢́e̸͏r҉̸e̶̸ ̷̨y̴o҉͢u̵͟ ͞f́l̴oa̸͝͞t?'̧̀͢" He chuckled, before placing his feet firmly on the ground, his wings spread wide. "̨Y̷o҉u̡͘'͝re̵͜͠ ͟͝t̡͢͝h̷e ͘b̵ad̴͜͟ ͏gų̀y, ͏̸Į̡ g̶e̢t ̵i͜t̀҉.̷ ́Bú̴t͝ ͏́d̀o͢ y͟ou̡͟ ̢̡͠re͢͏ąl̨͏͟l̵҉͠y̡͟ ͟n̸͜͡e͘ed͜ ̶̨t̶̷o̢͢͝ ̶a͝c̀t ̧͠͏l̷ík͢e̛ ͞͞y͜o̷u͟҉́ a̢͘r͟e͡͞͠n't͘͠͡ áf̡͘͠r͡ài̵̛d͡?͞͏ ́͏͝Í͏ ca͘̕͜n͞͏͡ ͢p̴͜͝r̨a̸̵c͢t̨́i̶͟͞c̛a͡ll̀́͘y̢ ҉ _f͜͏ȩ̴̧el̸̸_ ҉t͠h̨̢͜e͏͘ ̷͠͝f҉ear̷ ͞d̶r̴̴í̶p̨͡p͟͡í͜n͡g̀ ̛f͞r͜͟ǫm͜͜ ̀y̕o̡͘͢u͘. Be̶͝ ̶̸̨a͏ ̧͘bi̡͘̕g͝ bǫ̀͜y͝͠ ̕͢͜a̡n̸d l̸e̸t a̛l̢͜l̴̸͘ ͏͟t̸hos͞è ̡͘fe̛͢e̷̢l̛͏i͠n̷͟g ͟͠l̷͢͠o̶̵o̢͠se̸͟,̧ ̶͠͏y̧͠o̡͟҉u̴̕'̴r̶͜e̡̛ ̷̵̨g̨͝o̸i҉̧ǹ̷͘g͡͡ ̕t̀͢͞o ̵d͘i̸è̕ é̶it̵̸̸h̀e̵̷r̸ ̨͞ẃ̵͡ay̷͟.̀"͘͞

Pine Tree... No, Alcor, was stepping towards Bill now, and he was actually backing up, but soon halted, narrowing his eye. _What am I doing? I shouldn't be afraid! I'm the one with the power, not him!_ The demon locked his eye on the other, and made a grab for him, only to get a blast of blue energy sending him hurtling straight through the wall of the wall of the Fearamid, creating another large opening.

Alcor grinned at his work, before glancing back to the small group of humans that remained in the interior, especially on the small girl who was stepping up to him. "Kick his butt for me, will you?" She spoke with a smile in her words, as well as on her face.

He watched her for a moment, before giving her a nod and a smile. "̛̛I̸͠t̡ ̵̵̕w̵o͏ul͘d̡͘͠ bè͡ ͢m̴͘y͠ ͏p̀l҉̷ea͞͠s͠u̴ŕ̶e͘͟.̧͠"̵͢Before he shot out of the broken side like a bullet, hovering in the air as he looked around for Bill. Where had he gone? The shape was nowhere to be seen. _I couldn't possibly have vaporised him in one hit, I'm not that strong. If I was, this fight would be incredibly boring._ _So where has he got to?_

Alcor was just about to go back into the pyramid, when something large hit him, sending him smashing into the ground at high speed. It wasn't an enjoyable experience. He grunted slightly as he floated up from the large hole he'd made in the ground, looking up to see what had hit him.

Well, he'd found Bill. But not in the same form as he'd been before. The demon was huge and no longer flat, instead in the shape of a pyramid and was bright red. He had eight glowing yellow limbs now, and sharp teeth jutting out from every level of his body, black tongues lolling out and an eye at the top of every side. He definitely looked... monstrous.

The other flew up to his eye height, looking in interest instead of horror. "͠͡F͠҉i͘n͢a҉́ĺ͘ly̷,̧̢ ͢I̛҉ ̧͟h̷̢͜ą̶vę̛ ҉s̶̢͢o̡͝͠me̴̡t͜hi̧̕͡n̴͘g̸҉ ̶co̴̶o͜ĺ̡͝ ̧̛͝t̴̵͞o̴ p̸l̨̛͟ą́̕y̷ ͟ẁí̴th.͟͡͏ ̨Y̡ơ̶u͢ j̢͢ư͜s̡t̨͜͟ ̶͘͢lò́͜ó̶ke̢͜͝d͠ l̸̕i͘͡͠k̴e͟͞ ̨a̛ ҉͘͏n̛͟a͜c͡h͘͜o̸̡ ̨b̀̀e̸͘f̛͜oŗ͝͝e̛,͡͡ ҉n̡̛o͞w͘ ͜ý̷͠o͟u̧͢'̶͢ŗ̀̕e ͏a͟͟ct͜u̶a̶̸͡ll͘͠y̢͡ ͟͢t͝h̷r̷̶̨è͏à͘͟t͟e̢͞n̴i͠͏n͏̢͠g͠!̨͡͡" He said with relief before lighting his whole arms up in flames. "̛͘C̶̨aŕe͜͝ ̶̀t̷o̵̷ ̶̷͡o͏͞f̢̀f͘i͞c̢͞i̕͠a͏̶l͡͞l̷y ̢͢ş̵̴t̶́aŕ̸t͜͏ ̷t̛͟h̛͞ę̶ fi̛͞g͞h̢͘͜t́?͡"

Bill locked his front eye on Alcor, growling. "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?"

"I ̴́͢t͏h̢̡i͢nk̡͡ t͝͏h͞͝i͜͡s͡͏ i͏͢͝s͢ ͘h͏͞ìl͠͝a͡r̨̀io̵͞u̵s!̷̛" He respond, deciding to inflict the first blow by flying straight for his eyes and firing his flames towards them. However Bill saw it coming, raising up two of his arms to protect the eyes, using two others to try and swat at Alcor like he was a fly.

But luckily, the boy's wings really helped to coordinate his movements in the sky, so he managed to fly out of the way in time, continuing to fly around him avoiding the arms that kept searching for him.

 _I need to think of a better approach, this is going to get annoying, fast._ Alcor tried to think, but nothing seemed to come to mind. The only weakness he knew of Bill's was his eye, and those were inaccessible right now. Plus, he didn't know how to shapeshift, so taking Bill on full giant battle style wasn't going to happen either. No matter how fun that would have been. Then he got an idea.

 _Bill wants to try and swat the fly does he? Then lets see if he can catch me!_ Alcor laughed, speeding up and spreading his wings out as he dove in random directions as fast as he could, glancing around to make sure his arms were still following him. Sure as day, those spider like appendages were still trying to get a hit at him, while his eyes were still shielded from attacks.

"STOP GOING SO FAST!" The pyramid monster shrieked in annoyance, shuffling his body as he lunged to try and snap Alcor up, but the small demon was still too fast for him to catch.

Bill's frustration made him laugh. "W̶̧͏ha̴̡t͢͝'s̡͟ ̨̀t̵̵h҉e̸ ͢m̶͝a̛͜͠t͘͜t̕͢èr̕,͡͠ ̛́͘Ć͝i͜p̵͟he̡r̵͡?̀ ̴I̴͢ ̴͢g̶͞͞ú͏̴e̶s͜͜͢s̛҉ ̡͏śi̷͘͢z̴̡͠e͜ ̛҉d́͜o̧͞͏es̕n'̢t̴̵̨ ̛a͝lw̕a̧҉y̡̡s͞ ̢́͠a̸͏cqu͝ai̕͟nt̷̨͡ ͜t́ò̴͢ wi̵nni҉͞͏n̨͢g̡͠ ͝t͘͏h̀͏͏e͜ ̶̸҉ga̵͝m̸̶͟e͢!̨͟" He could see his plan working, as he shot around like a comet, buzzing by his eyes and diving down by his legs. It was then that he noticed that he didn't have just two arms trailing him anymore, it was four. _Well, this cuts down the time now, doesn't it?_ He thought amusingly as he continued his rush.

What was this kid trying to do? Did he really think that he would get tired and have to drop his guard from an attack. _Fool! I can keep going until the earth is nothing but a crumbling rock if I have to. You little brat aren't going to survive. I'll destroy you!_ He'd nearly gotten him, he was going to get him! He poked an eye out from under his arm to see his victory.

Alcor had stopped, turning round to look at the arms reaching for him. His arms were crossed and a smirk was across his face. _He really is a fool... I'll tear that smile from his face!_ But then... His arms stopped moving, mere inches from him. Bill didn't understand, why couldn't he crush him!? He uncovered eyes and looked down at his arms and found the problem. They were tided up. All four of the arms were knotted together so much that he could barely hope to unravel them. "YOU..." He fumed as he charged at the boy even without the use of two thirds of his arms.

Dodging easily out of the way, Alcor spotted Mabel watching from the Fearamid. The human part of him wanted to continue fighting and leave her out of it for her own protection, but the other part wanted to have fun, and it knew that his sister would be able to help with that. He fired twin beams of flame in Bill's direction to distract him while he flew up to Mabel and grinned at her. "̧̀͟W͘͟ą̷n̶͘n̷̨a͘͞ ̷͜h́a̶v̶̢e̴ ̢҉̀s͝om̨̨e͏҉ ͡fu͜͝ń?̛́́"҉

She hesitated for a moment, before taking her grappling hook out of her pocket. He then grabbed hold of her, pulling her onto his back. Alcor wobbled slightly with the effort before he adjusted to her weight and soared for Bill again.

Mabel and Alcor didn't even have to say a word to each other to decide what they were going to do. She readied her grappling hook and fired it aiming for the monsters legs and it hit, latching on and then she held on tightly onto her brothers back before he went firing around Bill's legs like a rocket, causing the rope of the grappling hook to wrap around his legs.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE? COME HERE AND FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE!" They heard Bill shouting from above them, having no idea what they were doing since he couldn't see them. He shuffled his legs around an tried to move, but by the time he did Alcor had already tightened the grappling hook too much for him to move.

Mabel let go of her gun, grinning up at Bill as he started to wobble. "WE'RE CUTTING DOWN A TREE!" She shouted, with Bill soon tumbling to the ground, causing a small shock wave to shake the earth, after which Alcor flew down to the ground and dropped Mabel off of his back. The two of them then run towards the fallen demon and looking to each other in victory.

Bill grunted in frustration, before shrinking in size and returning to his normal shape, where he quickly straightened himself out, not before getting a flaming punch right in the eye sending him flying.

He didn't even get a chance to get up for himself, as Alcor had already picked him up and was lighting him up in flames. Bill's eye widened in pain and he flailed, before he was thrown back onto the ground by the boy.

This didn't make sense, why was he so weak all of a sudden? And why was his attacks hitting him harder than before? _Has this kid been sapping my strength this whole time? No... It's that circle that did this, even though it was shut off it's still having a lasting effect on me, but why not him? It's true that it didn't have as much of an effect on him, so maybe he doesn't suffer from the same disadvantage as me. This... This is making him look stronger in comparasion!_

"͠Yo̕u͢͜ ̕͡d̴o̢n't̨ ̷͠s̴ȩ̶e̡͞͝m̕ ̸̢s̶o̴̶̕ b͞r͢a̸̕͠v̨e͢҉ n̡o̕͜w̸ ͢d͠͝o͏̸̡ ̧y̧oų̸,͘͢͢ t̶͡rí̛͜a̧͢ńg̛l̴e͏͜?͜͞ ̵So͏̵̢,̛ ͟a̶͡r̢è ̢́ỳ͟ǫ͠ų ͜g̷o͟in̡̨g ̶t̶͠o̢͢ ͠g̸o̧ ̸oųt̵̢͠ e̵̢ą͝sý͢҉,͡͏ o̴r̛͏ ̡͝h̀͝a̶r̴d͞?̵ ̕P̀l͏͢e̡a͏s͠͏e ̧̡͢ş͟͞á̡y̸̢ ̡h̴͘a̸ŗ̸d̶̀͠,҉ i̵̛͢ţ̛ ̡҉ẃo̕͢͝uld b̨͜ȩ̸̢ ̕b͏o͜r̀͞i͏͏ń̴ģ̸ ̡i͏̴̷f̧͘͘ yo̶͝u̵͏́ ̴̧d́͝i̴̛ḑ̸n͏̶'̨͞͠t͏̸ ͏s̛t͡͏r̡u͢͜g҉g̀͢͜l̷̢e̕͟.̸̵̢"̡ Alcor looked down at him on the ground, enjoyment evident on his face, and even in those yellow holes that were his eyes.

Bill knew he was the one with the disadvantage, he wasn't stupid. He'd been the one who was foolish, underestimating his opponents strength and overestimating his own. He had one trump card left to use.

The triangle chuckled as he looked at the boy and his sister. "But you two are forgetting one little problem. You can't kill a demon! I thought you knew that by now! You're stuck with me no matter how much you wish that it wasn't the case. You can't threaten me."

Bill thought he'd won with that line, but the look on his face made him worried as he crouched down to the triangles level. "͘O҉̧h̴̡ ̸̢͘I̴̕͜ k͢ńó̡͟w̴̷͘ ͏t͢͏͞h̶͢a͡t̀̕.͢͡͡ ̧B̀͡u̴t̛ ̵t̴͟͡h͜é͜ŕ̶ę͝'̴s̡̕ ̡͢ó͟n҉̧̧e̶͜ ̧́b҉i҉t ̴of̸̶̢ i̢nf͠or̀͏́m̴a͜ţ̶ió͡n҉ ͏͘y͟͟o̵͘̕ư̴ ̵̛ǹ͘͟e҉̀͢g͜͞l̢̡̛ę͞ć̨͠t́͠ ҉̷̡t͠o̸͏ ͡m̀͟͟ę̶n͡ţio͞n̴͠͡.͢ So͏̡̧m͠e̛̕t͘h͜͜͜i̢͢n̕g̢͘͢ ͡͡t͜h̴̀͞ą͞t̵̶̷ ̶̛y̵̴ơ̴u̸ ҉n̛e̕v̸e̡̧͘r̨҉ ̸͜t̕͡o͜͞l͏́̀d̸ ̕͠m̷̵e̴͜,̧ ̷̀a̷̡ņ̀͟d͟͟ t̛͝ha̸͝t ͟͢I ̸o҉̸̀n̛҉͏l̵̢y ͘͏ca͏̡̧m̕e ̵̵̛to ́k̛͘͝n͠͝ó̶͞w͏̷ b͏y͟ ̸͘͝c̡h̡an̵̨cé̢ ̴̨a̵s͘͠ ̷͞in̵̢f̀͘o͏r̶m͠a͜t̀i̶o̕͡n̷ ̷̕s̛̕l͝҉̛ów͠ļy ̕͠le͏͜a̡̕kę̷d̷ ͜i҉̢͝n͞t̵͘̕o ̛͠m̷y̧ ̡͜͡b͘͠ŕ͞a͜įn̸̷.́͜ ͝D̵͢o̡̕ ̵yǫ̵͏u͝ ķ̶no̸͠w̛ ẃ̵͢h͘͝a͢͞t̨?̡"

Alcor paused for a moment, as if to dare Bill to speak, and when he didn't, he continued. "Y̷̧o͏u̧͟͟ ̨c̵à̷n͢҉̀'̸̛t̸ ki̢l҉l a̛ ͢ḑ̴͞ę̴m͢͠o҉̛n̨̢,́͟ ͟͡b̴̵u͜ţ ̧̛y̨̡o҉͜ú͘ ͟c̛̀ą͘n̡ ̕D̷̀E͢S̵̶T̢R̸Ó͡Y ̷th͜͝͡èm͡͏̛.̴̛͞ ̵͘Y͜o̢u̷̧'̀l̀̀l̶͞ ̸r͞e̵̢ģ͜͞en̵e̷r̴a̴̶t͘e̴҉͘ ̴̸̕a҉͏f̡̀t̵̨e̷r̵ ą͝ ̡͟f̡ew̴̛ ̴̧th̴͜͜o͘u͏s̶̨̀a̧nd͘͡ ̶̷̧y̢èà͘rs̵̛͞, ̷̵bu͝͝t͏̨ ỳ̀ou̵͠'҉l҉l҉̸̀ ̸b̷̷e͏̀ ̛ou͟͟t͘͟͏ o͢͠f͞ ̶̴͢ò̀u̡͢r҉ ͝w̧͢á͘y͠ ̵͢f̴͝҉or a̕͞ ̷́w̸̨͠hile̢.͢͡"

Bill's eye widened in fear. _No. Why did he have to know that, why did he have to know that!_ He wanted to say something, try to convince him that he'd come back sooner or something. Something to save his life.

"Please... I'll do anyt-" But he didn't get time to finish, as a blue flash of light blinded his vision. And soon he didn't see or feel anything at all. And he doubted he would for a very long time.

* * *

 **DEMONIC TRANSLATION** _(For the humans that are unable to understand Dipper's unholy voice.)_

(In order of appearance)

Don't you mean where you float?

You're the bad guy, I get it. But do you really need to act like you aren't afraid? I can practically feel the fear dripping from you. Be a big boy and let all those feeling loose, you're going to die either way.

It would be my pleasure.

Finally, I have something cool to play with. You just looked like a nacho before, now you're actually threatening!

Care to officially start the fight?

I think this is hilarious!

What's the matter, Cipher? I guess size doesn't always acquaint to winning the game!

Wanna have some fun?

You don't seem so brave now do you, triangle? So are you going to go out easy or hard? Please say hard, it would be boring if you didn't struggle.

Oh, I know that. But there's one bit of information you neglect to mention. Something that you never told me, and I only came to know by chance as information slowly leaked into my brain. Do you know what?

You can't kill a demon, but you can DESTROY them. You'll regenerate after a few thousand years, but you'll be out of our way for a while.

* * *

 **So, I've nearly finished my exams, I've only got a Chemistry and a Physics one to go and then I'm home free! (Well, technically I'm home free already since I don't need to come into school for lessons anymore, but whatever.) This means that I should hopefully be able to get you the last few chapters within (hopefully) a month.**

 **And before I got back to drown in revision books, I just want to say thank you to everyone who's stuck by me through this all, especially my regular reviewers. MagicQuill42, TheTrueAmerican, Kiomori and ShikiRiian just to name a few. ;) And I can't go without thanking the wonderful LainaFantasyGirl for helping me with some crucial plot points of the story. Some of the important chapters in this story wouldn't be the same without her guidance.**

 **PS. Just a little not to people (especially guests) who review only to scream at me to update. Doing that won't make me update any sooner than I already am, in fact, it might actually put me off from updating instead. It just annoys me when people do that despite the fact that I've already said that I will update in time. It makes me wonder if those people even read my notes at the end of the story.**

 **So please, if you're going to review, say something useless. I've got more than 500 reviews on this story and thats mind blowing, though I bet about 10% of them are by those type of people. It's fine if you review and say 'This is amazing, keep it up!' As that is a nice little simple review, however one that says 'UPDATE SOON PLEASE I'M DYING WHY WON'T YOU UPDATE THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!' Do not please me. Even if you put you like the story at the end of one of these reviews, it's still an update review in my eyes. For a review to count, it has to actually be a review. So that means there has to be more substance of opinions or criticism then screaming for updates. So please, can you types of people only review if you have a reason for doing it?**


	60. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

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 ** _Unknown PoV_**

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 _It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? I mean, ever since that day, I knew that it wasn't the end. I knew that I'd have to see him again someday._

 _It's almost disappointing that Weirdmageddon was stopped in its prime, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in to help? I wonder what chaos he would have brought on the world... I wonder if I would have enjoyed it._

 _It was all good and all, saving that small little town. But what did I really get out of it? The almost tolerable relationship with the Author? The shaky acceptance of the townsfolk? Maybe it was the satisfaction of seeing him being turned to dust. Yeah... That's probably it. Seeing his smug face being replaced with pure fear. The fear of the unknown, of the end._

 _Maybe I should have stayed. After all, what place was there for an oddity like me outside of Gravity Falls? Was the return worth it? To see my sister try and explain it all to those that came before us? To see the fear on their faces as they realised their son had become a monster? Back then... I guess that would have harmed my self esteem. Now all I can do is look back and laugh._

 _I must admit, it was nice to watch her grow old. To be... happy. I still can't believe she accepted me all that time, never once faltering, never showing fear. I'll never forget her because of that. How could I? To forgot her would be to betray her._

 _I should be happy, I got to watch her find her real forever love, and watch them have children together. Children, that seemed to share the same determination to see the humanity in me. Though, her husband didn't seem to share the same... bravery. He was fun._

 _But then... It all has to come to a standstill, doesn't it? All life comes to an end at one point or another, returning to the cycle. But why did it have to be so painful? Why did the world have to keep reminding me of that single fact?_

 _Death is always around the corner, and watching your sister, your twin, die, knowing that you'll never be able to greet them in the unknown... It can tear you up. But I guess I must have gotten use to it. Seeing her children die, and their children die, and their- You get the point. I suppose to a human, this kind of thing would permanently shatter their mind. But for me? It just served to harden my will._

 _You know, it's been kinda boring, these last few hundred years. Not much has happened. Being feared as an all powerful demon by the humans has gotten boring, it would, after a while. Of course, I still make sure to prove my image, but I don't put on as many shows as I once did. At least I still have my sisters descendant to look after. And the occasional reincarnation._

 _The Nightmare Realm is extremely dull now. At least I don't have to be stuck there most of the time anymore, I guess my body started to create its own energy to stay the physical plane. Ha! I don't even have to save up energy to take a physical form anymore._

 _I don't get any challenges for leadership as I once did. After that pesky triangle was destroyed, all of them knew my name, and knew to fear it. I wasn't someone to mess with. So they'd stayed away from me... Well, most of them at least. The ones that didn't believe the tales about me tried their go, and ended up regretting it. At least some of them put up a bit of a fight! Now it seems like I'm always surrounded by weaklings._

 _But they have had some use. I've heard whispers from the others. Of how it's nearly time for him to return. Of how he was going to strike me down and take back his right fall place in charge of this dead space._

 _Well. I think it's about time we see about that._

* * *

Existing had a nice feeling to it. Bill certainly agreed on that fact as his incorporeal body was formed, and his mind reasserted itself. "Ahhh... It is good to be back!" He said cheerily as he had a glance around at his surroundings. He was in a dense forest, one that he didn't recognise, though he didn't really recognise anything right now. He head was still swirling. However, as he surveyed the area, he noticed he wasn't alone. A tall man in a suit was lying in a tree, watching him curiously. He instantly noticed the aura that surrounded him wasn't human, it most closely resembled a demon.

Bill was slightly pleased to be in the presence of another demon so soon, he'd have someone to explain to him what had happened over all the years he'd been going. "Well, how do you do! Nice to meet another demon already! You might of heard of me, the name's Bi-"

"Bill Cipher. Yeah, I know." The man said quickly, cutting him off with a smirk before he slid down from the tree onto the ground, walking to meet the triangle face to face.

Cipher narrowed his eyes for a moment, feeling a bit memory slowly seep back, and suddenly this man felt a lot more familar. "Have we met before?"

Another chuckle. "I guess you could say we have." The stranger said, for taking of his hat and bowing. "The name's Alcor. The Dreambender if you must add anything to it. But I have also been called The Twin Star by many other people." He smiled as he saw the other demon's eye widen in realisation. "It's nice to meet you again, Bill."

"No... NO! NOT YOU!" Bill felt his anger flare up, his body glowing bright red as he glared at Alcor. How dare he... How dare Pine Tree be anywhere near him! He was the one who ruined his plan! The one who... Who... DESTROYED HIM! "HOW DARE YOU COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! IT WAS GOING TO BE THE CULMINATION OF MY GREATEST PLAN YET! AND YOU RUINED IT! I'M GOING TO END YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU... YOU-" The other held out a finger to halt the triangle's rage.

"Now now, time to calm down little guy. Let's think about this for a moment, shall we? You've been gone for... I don't know, about 4,000 years? And in that time, I have mastered all the abilities you could ever do, and learned so much more, all the while becoming at least 3 times more powerful than you at your highest point. You, on the other hand, are only about 1/1000th of your strength the last time we met. All that being said, I could easily snap my fingers and destroy you in an instant. And I'm sure you're not keen to float around in the void for a few more thousand years."

Bill was speechless at first, but knew that he was right. He was no where near powerful enough to even land a scratch on him. He crossed his arms as he calmed his reddish hue back to yellow, narrowing his eye. "What's you're game, Pine Tree? You wouldn't be keeping me alive right now if you didn't have something to gain."

Alcor put an arm around Cipher as he spoke. "Well, you see, all the other demons seem to think that you'd come back and take me down. Which, lets be honest, won't ever be happening. But I don't want to just destroy you again, even if you did really ruin my life. And even if it was all an act, me and you did get along, once." He paused for a moment. "So hows about you be my friend? Well, 'friend' would be a pretty loose word. You get to keep on existing, as long as you swear eternal loyalty to me. I might even give you a few jobs as we go. You could be like a little secretary!"

The man slowly stepped away from the demon, laughing. "Honestly, you don't have another option here. If you try to run I'll destroy you, if you try to attack me, I'll destroy you. It's your only way out. So, how about it then, have we got a deal?" He held out his hand, wrapping in it his blazing blue flame.

Bill stared at the hand in disgust as the mere thought of relating himself with the man... But he knew he had no choice. He sighed, slowly reaching to take Alcor's hand. "I guess you got me, Pine Tree. But don't think I won't get out of this the first chance I get!"

Alcor grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a friend like you. Now, come on, you've got a lot of catching up to do.

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 **And that marks the end of our story. After so many breaks, and a lot of stressful nights of trying to come up with the best way to end it, its done. I know that you're all probably surprised that this is the last chapter, and believe me, I am too. But when I looked it all over, this was the best way to end it. With Bill's defeat be the last chapter, and he and Dipper reuniting being the Epilogue.**

 **If you keep up with the tumblr for the Transcendence AU, you probably notice a lot of similarities with one of the posts about Bill and Alcor meeting again (post/103790037033), and thats because I used that for a lot of inspiration. A lot of the dialogue is similar to that post, due to the fact that the dialogue from that just works so well in this last chapter.**

 **I want to just say... thank you all so much to everyone who supported this piece, even if you only read one chapter and decided it wasn't for you. I'm just happy that one person got to read this! It started out as a simple idea in my head, and its blossomed into something I loved to create, even if it cost me a bit of my sanity along the way ;) But I got through it, because of all of you. All of the wonderful people who took a chance with one of the thousands of stories on this site. Thank you all so much, I wouldn't have gotten this far without you all.**

 **This is probably the last you'll hear from me on this story, as I have no plans to make a sequel, or anything else related to the Transcendence AU ever again, because I honestly just want to enjoy the lore of it for myself now. At least for a while, anyway. I probably won't be writing any more stories in general, as I'm planning on creating my own original idea to write a book about, and most of my time will be taken up exploring the options for that. So, goodbye everyone, and I hope to see you all again in one form or another. :)**


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